Mosaic Kakera
by snowqueen184
Summary: Tenten loses her memories of Neji, leaving him to pick up the pieces of their relationship. Meanwhile, war is imminent and tensions are rising amongst both allies and enemies. Will fate bring them back together? Or will it tear them further apart...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, neither do I want to. I'd rather have Sasuke. Or Neji. Or perhaps Shikamaru. Or maybe Gaara...**

**Beta read by Midnight Memories.**

* * *

Her eyes snapped open when she heard the sounds of drunken laughter and loud conversation; neither of which were helping her throbbing head. Through a tiny window, which was more of a hole in the wall than anything else, pale shafts of light infiltrated the dimmess of room. Whether it was early morning or early evening, Tenten couldn't possibly tell.

She had been staring at the same patch of dull grey wall since she had woken up with half lidded eyes. The cold hardness beneath the side of her face both soothed and added to the bruising there. But it wasn't just her cheek; every single inch of her seemed to hurt. Even with her long sleeved shirt and pants, she could feel the painfully fridgid stone floor and the chill of the air right down to her bones.

How long had she been here? Who brought her here? Where exactly was 'here'?

The position she was lying in was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Tenten tried to shift her body, but the sudden movement after being immobile on the stone floor for god knows how long was too much.

Her choked scream bounced off the stone walls, mocking her agony.

Eventually the pain receded and her eyes cracked open for the second time that day. Breathing slowly, she fought to keep the waves of dizziness and nausea at bay.

Gritting her teeth, Tenten lifted her head from the floor, only managing to turn just enough to look out the window. Obscured by the lack of light and the mist, the vague silhouete of a mountain range was more than enough for her to know that she wasn't anywhere near Konoha.

"Damn it."

Tenten gently lowered her aching head back onto the floor, letting her eyes close for a moment.

The last thing she could remember before coming to in her cramped "cell" was fighting the group of bandits that had attacked the merchants she and her teammate were supposed to escort. Then a sharp pain at the base of her neck. Everything beyond that was a blur.

_Escape first, you can figure out how to get back to Konoha later. _

Lifting her hands, she studied the bindings around her wrists. They were nothing special, just your average piece of rope. Usually, something like this wouldn't be a problem, but her fingers were too numb to perform the necessary seals.

Tenten blew on her freezing digits, wishing that she could do the same for the rest of her body. With every warm breath that escaped her dry, cracked lips, her teeth chattered as she shivered unconsciously.

Hesitantly, she flexed her fingers and winced. They still hurt, but at least she could move them now.

A few hand seals later, Tenten was untying the knot securing the cord around her ankles with one hand, the other rubbing the raw, red marks on her wrist where the rope had cut into her skin.

She stood up slowly, not liking the way she had to clutch on the wall for support.

Gradually, the feeling returned to her legs and she headed for the door. As she was reaching for the knob, there was a loud click. Thinking quickly, Tenten affixed herself to the ceiling with chakra and waited.

When the door opened, Tenten jumped down and hit the pressure point on the neck of the man who had just entered the room.

After she closed the door, Tenten quickly tied up the unconsious man. He probably wouldn't wake up for a while, but it was best to be cautious.

These bandits obviously weren't the strongest or smartest ones around. The only way one of them would have managed to knock her out was if some of them were more powerful than the rest. It was unlikely that any of them were ninjas. No shinobi would ever tie up another's hands in front of them, especially with normal rope.

Unless, of course, they actually _wanted_ her to escape.

Tenten quickly dismissed the thought.

But still, considering her condition and lack of weapons, she would just have to be careful not to get caught.

With that in mind, she used henge to take on the appearance of the bandit before quietly slipping out of the room.

The second the door slammed shut, there was a soft, almost undetectable 'poof' as the man lying in the middle of the room disappeared in a puff of smoke. All that was left were the two lengths of rope that landed gracefully on the stone floor.

* * *

Tenten wandered along the dimly lit corridor, trying to find a way out. She hadn't been looking for very long, but so far, she hadn't seen any windows or doors and seeing as most of the noise was coming from above, she was probably on one of the lower levels of the building.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps drawing nearer. Suppressing the impulse to run, she tried to act normally as she walked past the two unsuspecting bandits who were headed in the opposite direction.

When it finally occured to her where they were going, it was already too late.

"Hold it!"

Tenten quickly dispatched the two bandits and relieved them of their weapons, not bothering to hide their bodies. The others had no doubt heard the commotion and were most likely already on their way.

* * *

A tall, skinny man pushed past the double doors and walked into the room, wondering why he was the one stuck doing all the dirty work.

The boss wasn't going to be very happy when he found out.

"Err...The prisoner's escaped, Boss. She's already killed thirty of our men."

When he was finished, he looked up to see his leader's reaction. The man sitting on the plush divan was unphased as he said coldly, "Then go after her. And bring me more sake."

Half-stunned and half-relieved, the semi-drunk bandit nearly tripped over his own feet as he rushed off to carry out his orders. The other man paid his panicking subordinate no heed as he took another sip. He watched the clear liquid swirl the small cup, reflecting the flickering candle light.

Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

Droplets of blood splattered onto the floor as Tenten thrusted the katana deep into the last bandit's chest. A gasp came from his open mouth and he slid onto the ground to join the dozens of other lifeless bodies.

Tenten could slowly feel the effects of the andrenaline from earlier waning, but there wasn't any time to waste. She could already hear more of them coming.

_I've gotten this far. I'm not going to give up now..._

Panting heavily, she forced her aching legs to move. Her feet were carrying her further and further from the stone compound, but she had no idea whether she was getting any closer to freedom. After all, no matter where you were, forest was forest.

The foliage was becoming thicker with every step. Amidst the loud voices and hurried footsteps from behind, she heard something else drawing near. The sound of rushing water.

She almost sighed in relief. If she could get to the river, her trail would be lost forever and she would have one less thing to worry about.

Unfortunately, it wasn't quite what she had expected.

Tenten found herself standing on the edge of a rocky cliff, formed over the centuries by the elements. There was a river alright, but it was hidden somewhere in the depths of the gorge further down, barely visible in the darkness.

No one could survive a drop like that.

Tenten turned around, only to back up when she came face to face with her thirty-odd pursuers. All of them were armed with various weapons that glinted in the light of the torches they were carrying. The looks they were giving her were anything but pleasant.

And then, by a stroke of sheer misfortune, the rock beneath her feet started to crumble. By then, it was too late to do anything.


	2. Ash Like Snow

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, even the title of the story and the name of the chapter isn't mine.**

* * *

His pale lavender eyes watched the faint rise and fall of her chest under the sheets of the hospital bed she lay in, his hand placed gently over her limp one. It was cold, too cold for his liking; even so, he refused to let it go.

He recalled hearing about what had happened from Lee upon his return from his mission yesterday. He had rushed as fast as he could to the hospital where he found her in this state.

He hadn't left the room since.

Absently, he reached over to brush a few strands of her long hair away from her face, taking care not to touch the bandages wrapped around her head. He knew that she hated it when her hair got into her eyes. "It's distracts me," she explained after a particularly long sparring session when she noticed him looking questioningly at her while she was fixing her buns. At the time, he had agreed, ignoring the pointed look and raised eyebrow at his own long hair.

Distractions during battle could be as lethal as a well aimed kunai. Even so, he privately thought that she looked better with her hair down.

Her face was calm, even peaceful. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought that she was just sleeping. It felt as if she would wake up any minute and say 'good morning' to him with that cheerful smile that he knew so well playing on her lips.

_It was supposed to be a simple mission_, he found himself thinking suddenly. The hand that was on his lap clenched into a fist.

He was angry. Angry at the men that had attacked her, at the incompetence of the shinobi that had been her partner, at the ANBU team for not finding her sooner...

A tiny part of him was almost angry at her for not being strong enough to look after herself.

Almost.

But most of all, he was angry with himself for not being there to protect her.

Then the door opened and Lee entered; neither of the room's occupants acknowledged his presence.

"Neji, Hokage-sama wants to see you."

"Aa."

* * *

Tsunade was digging through the piles of forms and scrolls stacked on top of her desk. At times like this, she wished she had her two protege's expertise at magically unearthing exactly what she needed from any sort of pile, regardless of its size or contents.

Unfortunately, Shizune was currently away on a mission and Sakura was helping out at the hospital. Neither of them would be back for quite some time.

Then again, if either her assistant or apprentice had been here, she probably wouldn't even be looking for what she was trying to find in the first place.

"Where the hell is that damned sake!"

There was a knock on the door and Tsunade quickly sat back down on her chair and picked up a scroll, pretending to read it.

"Come in," she called out, unaware that she was holding the scroll upside-down.

"Hokage-sama," Neji greeted. "I apologise for not reporting here immediately after returning from my mission."

"Yes, but that wasn't what I wanted to see you about," Tsunade said.

"We've recently received information that Iwagakure is planning something. The council has decided to send in someone to find out whether Konoha is their target, highly likely since we aren't on very good terms with them. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, we cannot afford to send in more than-"

BAM!

"Hokage-sama!" Lee shouted, panting as he clutched the doorframe. "It's Tenten, she-"

Without waiting to hear the rest, Neji ran out of the office, closely followed by Lee and Tsunade.

* * *

In her the first few moments of consciousness, all she heard was a soft, familiar beeping. A light ache pulsed in her head and her body felt as if it were made of lead. The only thing that she could discern was the feeling of someone else's hand on hers.

The sound of conversation drifted into her mind. In her semi-conscious state, she couldn't make out any of the words.

She didn't even realize until much later that the warm weight on her hand was gone.

Her eyes fluttered open for a second but the fluorescent lights above made her close them again. Eventually, she grew accustomed to the brightness and her vision gradually swirled back into focus.

She turned her head slightly to get a better look at the person sitting beside her bed. He wasn't facing her so she couldn't really tell who it was at first, but the absurd amount of green he was wearing made it obvious.

"Lee?"

"Tenten!" he exclaimed loudly. Behind him, a pink haired girl looked up from the medical chart she had been examining.

"Oh, Tenten-san you're awake." Sakura walked over to her bedside. "How do you feel?"

"My head hurts," she whispered, her voice hoarse from the lack of use. Sakura placed a glowing hand on her forehead.

"Lee-san, could you go get Tsunade-shishou?"

Tenten watched Lee dash out of the room as Sakura pressed the rim of a cup to her lips. She swallowed the cool liquid gratefully.

"How long have I been here?"

"About three weeks," the medic replied, holding up her other hand in front of Tenten's face. "How many fingers do you see?"

Once she was finished with the rest of her check up, Sakura jotted down her notes as she informed Tenten of her condition.

"The dizziness and headache should fade soon. You'll be able to leave in a few more days," Sakura smiled. The other girl returned it weakly, letting her tired eyes close for a minute.

"Everyone's been very worried about you, Neji-san especially."

Tenten's eyes snapped open.

"Neji...? Who's that?"

Outside, the hand that had been reaching for the doorknob froze.

The resounding silence was broken by a loud clatter as the clipboard Sakura had been holding hit the tiled floor.

* * *

Lee's initial euphoria at his teammate's recovery was gone, his happiness replaced with wide-eyed disbelief. Beside him, Tsunade's frown deepened. She had been afraid that this would happen.

Her gaze shifted from the door to the boy standing in front of it. His hand had fallen away from the knob and was now hanging loosely by his side. His pupiless eyes were still staring at the door, face devoid of emotion.

None of them said a word.

"Wait here."

When Tsunade motioned for Lee to follow her, the Hyuuga prodigy stepped aside to let them pass. The Godaime opened the door and both of them stepped into the room. Then, the door slid shut.

* * *

An hour later, Tsunade was sitting behind her desk re-reading the notes she had taken during her medical examination, her brow furrowed in concentration.

The facts Tenten had given her matched up with the ones given by her teammate and the ANBU squad that found her. The only thing remotely unusual was how the bandits had been strong enough to capture her when she could escape so easily.

But that wasn't what was worrying her right now.

"How is she?" Neji finally asked.

"Well, her physical injuries have healed. She should be fine after some rest," Tsunade explained. "However, it seems that the trauma to her head has caused her to lose her memories of you."

"Is that possible?"

"Inability to remember a specific event or person is uncommon but not unheard of. However, in all the cases that I've seen and heard of, selective memory loss only happens with things that are either easy to forget..."

The Godaime's serious amber eyes looked up at the shinobi standing before her.

"...Or things that the person wants to forget."

She paused to glance down at a sheet of paper before saying, "I've decided not to inform Tenten of her condition. Her attempting to force herself to remember isn't going to do any good. It's best if we let her recall her memories on her own. We'll reintroduce you to her gradually so that she won't be overwhelmed."

The Hokage set down the papers she was holding onto her already cluttered desk before placing her elbows on her desk, propping her chin on folded hands.

"Neji," she continued, "considering the severity of her amnesia, there is a possibility that she may never regain the memories that she lost."

By this point, the Hyuuga genius' expression was completely unreadable. Tsunade selected a scroll from the stack on her desk handed it to him. "The details for your mission are in here. I'll be temporarily transferring someone into your team to cover for your absence," she said, her voice businesslike but not unkind.

The shinobi in question merely nodded in response.

"Is there anything else?"

"No, you can go."

Even after he had left, Tsunade continued staring at the place where he had stood. As a medic and a fellow ninja, she too knew how hard it was when her comrades were injured in the line of duty. Especially when it was a case like this one.

After all, no matter what some liked or wanted to believe, shinobi were still human.

Tsunade sighed, reaching for the latest addition to her already mountainous pile of work.

_I need a drink._

* * *

Hinata made her way along the corridors, coming to a stop in front of a paper and wood sliding door. She knocked gently on the sturdy wooden frame, calling out softly.

"N-Neji-nii-san, I'm going to visit Tenten-san. Do you want to come?"

There was no reply. Hinata was about to leave when she saw her father approaching from the other end of the hallway.

"C-Chichiue," she greeted. The Hyuuga patriach nodded before speaking.

"I heard that you were going to visit Neji's teammate. Give her my regards."

"Hai." Hinata bowed as she excused herself.

Hiashi watched his eldest daughter as she walked towards the main entrance of the estate. She had grown a lot in terms of both courage and strength over the last few years. However, he knew that she wouldn't have gotten this far if she had been without the right support and encouragement from the people around her, something that even he had not been able to provide.

His nephew's teammate, he had found, was an especially good influence on his daughter. Despite her lack of a clan or kekkei genkai, she was an admirable young woman and a fine kunoichi.

Any man would be a fool to give up someone like her.

Hiashi glanced briefly at the door on his left before heading back towards his study.

* * *

"Hinata!"

"T-Tenten-san, how are you feeling?" she inquired politely, closing the door behind her. "H-Here, I brought you something."

"Hinata, you're a life-saver," Tenten said appreciatively as she took the proffered container before proceeding to devour its contents.

_Her appetite seems normal, _Hinata thought. Then she noticed the bag at leaning against the stool she was sitting on.

"A-Ano... Tenten-san, w-why have you packed your things?"

"I asked Tsunade-sama to let me leave earlier," she explained between bites of her food.

"Why?"

Tenten swallowed her mouthful before answering, "It's the anniversary of my dad's death so I wanted to visit the memorial today."

"O-Oh... D-Do you want me to come with you?"

The other girl shook her head.

"It's okay, I'll be fine."

Hinata suddenly found herself beginning to twiddle her fingers; one of the habits she still retained from her younger days. Despite her best efforts, she had found that she simply couldn't mask her nervousness, uncertainty and all her other emotions the way her cousin and everyone else in her clan did.

_"It's the way you are," Tenten said, setting down the kunai she had just polished._

_From her seat at the low table, Hinata watched her friend select a katana from the array of weaponry spread out on the bed. Her father had arranged for the weapon mistress to have a room set aside for her use on the grounds that she and Neji often trained late into the night and it would be far more convenient for her to stay at the Hyuga estate when they did._

_Hinata continued staring at her reflection in the katana Tenten was holding; the latter's inverted image separated from her own by a slant of light that cut across the blade._

_"Actually, I think it's cute," Tenten grinned, looking up from her cleaning. "Unless you'd rather end up like Neji."_

_The sneeze from next door caused both kunoichi to dissolve into fits of poorly-stifled giggles._

"Winter's come early this year."

Hinata looked up at her friend who was looking at the grey, overcast sky outside. The chopsticks and half empty container lay forgotten on the bedside table.

The Hyuuga heiress looked back down at her hands that had settled onto her lap.

"Hai."

* * *

It was early evening by the time she reached the Hyuuga complex. Before she had even touched the handle, the main door of the estate slid open.

"N-Neji-nii-san," Hinata gasped. "W-Where are you going?"

"I wanted to do some training before my mission tomorrow," came the terse answer, following it a short pause.

"How's Tenten?" Hinata didn't miss the way his eyes softened slightly when he said this.

"She's being discharged today," she replied with a small smile.

"I see," he said quietly, stepping outside.

"A-ano.. N-Neji-nii-san," she stammered, unsure of whether or not she should ask. She decided to try.

"D-did something h-happen between you and T-Tenten-san b-before...?" she trailed off when she noticed that her cousin was no longer meeting her gaze.

It was silent for a moment, and then, "You don't have to worry, Hinata-sama." She almost opened her mouth to say something but Neji cut her off, "Hiashi-sama is waiting for you to start dinner."

"Oh." Hinata headed into the house and watched him leave.

_How can you ask me not to worry, Neji-nii-san?_

But, even though she was extremely concerned about her cousin and his teammate, she knew that it wasn't her place to interfere. This was between the two of them and the only thing she could do now was believe in them both.

Over the years she had known them, Hinata had come to realize that the bond between Neji and Tenten was beyond the simple friendship she shared with her own teammates. However, it wasn't the sibling relationship Sakura had with Naruto; neither did it have any of Ino and Shikamaru's casual flirting.

Theirs was... different.

Deeper...

One that wouldn't be broken by something like this.

Everything would be all right in the end.

She gently eased the door close.

* * *

Night had fallen. The usually busy streets of Konohagakure were quiet, especially that particular area that he was walking through. The almost unnatural silence didn't bother him. In fact, he preferred it that way.

The last three days had been spent inside his room. Meditating. Trying to clear his thoughts. It was during this time that he had, for the first time in his life, found himself flooded with indecision.

What could he do? What should he do? What should he have done? There were so many questions that he couldn't find the answers to no matter how hard he tried.

But there was something else; another foreign feeling that he could not place. It made his chest feel tight and gave rise to an uncharacteristic lump in his throat. It hurt, but the pain was unlike that of any physical injury he had ever received during his years as a ninja. He could deal with those easily enough, but this...

This was beyond him.

It was because of this undeniable fact that these twin novelties frustrated him, someone who hid all his emotions behind a mask of apathy and coldness. He was a prodigy, the epitome of what a shinobi was expected to be. He did not respond emotionally, only with the serenity and indifference that those of his clan had been bred with.

The question that his younger cousin had asked was still echoing in the back of his mind. At the time, he hadn't felt any need to answer her.

It was something that had been in the spur of the moment; something bound to eventually happen that did. Nothing more.

At least, that was what he had been telling himself for the last few weeks.

Although he wouldn't admit it, in actuality, he had been afraid.

Afraid of losing her.

_Afraid of losing a teammate_, his mind immediately corrected, but even he himself didn't quite believe that.

But now he had lost her, and he didn't have anyone to blame for it other than himself.

He was heading for the third training area which was the nearest one. His usual training area was closer, but he couldn't bring himself to go to the clearing in the woods. _Their _clearing.

He pushed open the wrought iron gate before entering.

Someone else was already there; a slim, unmistakably feminine figure in a cream sweater and black slacks, standing in front of the memorial stone with her back towards him.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw her dark hair, flecked with white, gathered on the top of her head into a pair of matching buns.

It was only then did Neji realize that it was snowing.

* * *

She gently brushed away the snow that had fallen on the greenish blue marble, lost in the memories of her younger days.

She missed them. She missed them both so much...

Tenten determinedly blinked away her tears. She refused to cry. Not here; not now.

She turned to leave and saw him.

He was around her age, judging from his height alone. The symbol etched on his forehead protector told her that he was a fellow Konoha shinobi, but one that she hadn't met before. He was standing about three meters away and she was surprised that he had gotten that close without her even noticing his presence.

The white hakama and pants he was wearing blended perfectly with the snow-covered ground. The coffee-coloured hair that framed his handsome face reached his lower back. At first, she had found it unusual for a boy to have such long hair. Her sentiments were immediately forgotten when she saw his eyes.

They reminded her of the silver moonlight reflecting off the snowflakes as they drifited down from the heavens and the cold steel of the weapons she used. She admired the way they mirrored the pure, all-encompasing whiteness that enveloped everything around them.

Yet, she could sense a loneliness in his empty gaze.

For a long while, the only sound was that of the wind whistling as it whipped through the near-by trees. Tenten realized that she was shivering, but it wasn't because of the temperature.

She decided to break the increasingly uncomfortable silence.

"Err... Did you lose someone? A family member?"

Another long silence.

"A teammate," he finally replied, his voice low and thick with emotion. "She was-" He stopped short and seemed to contemplate his answer before saying, "A friend."

_She...?_

Out of pure curiosity, Tenten asked.

"Did you... love her?

Just as she was about to apologize for her thoughtlessness, he replied.

"I don't know," he said quietly, staring at the ground. Tenten didn't know what she could say to him, to comfort him. She found herself blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"Well, I'm sure that she must have felt the same way."

He looked up abruptly, his eyes meeting hers for the first time that night. She tried, in vain, to fight the heat that was creeping over her cheeks.

"Is something wrong?" For a moment, she thought she had seen surprise hidden somewhere in the depths of his white eyes.

"No." The hollow baritone of his voice was strained, but nothing showed on his face. He was looking right at her now, looking but not seeing.

"Thank you."

It was as though everything had fallen silent, frozen in time. She stared, wide-eyed, into the pearly white orbs of the stranger standing in front of her. Even though he never said it, she had heard the unspoken good-bye in his whispered words.

They both had.

Then, he turned around and started to walk away, never looking back. A part of her wanted her to call him back and ask him what he meant, but her voice had deserted her and all she could do was stand there.

As she watched his retreating figure, she felt a strange emotion welling up inside her along with her tears.

This time, she let them fall.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I hope you liked it. Took a while to get all the emotions and phrasing right. Don't worry, I won't just end it off like that. This IS a NejiTen after all. ;)**

**Beta read by my wonderful friend, Midnight Memories.**


	3. Honoo no Tobira

**Author's Note:**

**I know I usually have my say at the end of the chapter, but I thought I'd clear up some things before you read this one.**

**First, the plot is completely unrelated to the actual Naruto series. The only things I'm using are the Narutoverse, concept and characters. I own none of the above and neither am I making any money off them. It _would_ be nice though...**

**Second, Neji, Tenten and Lee are 17 in this fic, which would make the Naruto, Sasuke and gang 16. This fic is mostly centered around Neji and Tenten so the rest of the Konoha 12 aren't really in this fic.**

**Lastly, the OCs introduced in this chapter will play important roles in the rest of the story and their purpose/background will be revealed in good time.**

**The title for this chapter is taken from one of my favourite songs from Gundam SEED Destiny. It means "Gate of Fire". Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

It was late. A lone shinobi wreathed in white whipped through the trees, the silence of the night remaining undisrupted by his movements. Through the thick canopy of bare branches above, the moonlight shone onto the sodden ground as well as the small patches of snow that hadn't melted yet. It lit up his path and cast eerie shadows where it could not reach.

It was almost spring, yet the weather was anything but warm. The bitter wind stung his cheeks as it rushed past his face and through his long hair. The frigid dryness of the air made breathing difficult and every one that he took crystallized in front of his face, blurring his vision.

"Byakugan."

His destination was just within range of his bloodline limit; it would take him several minutes to cover that distance. He deactivated his bloodline limit and increased his speed.

The sooner he got back, the better.

The gates of Konoha entered his line of sight, looming over the trees in the distance. It had been a long time since he'd since he'd last seen them.

He landed in front of the main gates, looking up at the words painted on them. They served as a constant reminder to those who entered and left the village of what most of its inhabitants, including himself, were: Ninja.

The large wooden doors creaked open and Neji walked inside. The first thing he saw was the faces of all the previous Hokages looking down at him, watching over the village as it slept peacefully. A small smile graced his lips.

He was home.

_Tenten..._

The thought of her made a him hesitate for a moment. Would she remember him? Or would she be exactly the same as she had been before he left? He didn't know which he would have preferred.

It wasn't his decision to make.

Ignoring the small pang in his chest, Neji quietly leapt onto the rooftops.

_

* * *

_

Tsunade leaned against the desk, her head in her hands. Behind her, Shizune was watching her concernedly; her shishou hadn't left her office for almost a week. Sighing, Shizune peered over her Hokage's shoulder, scanning through the contents of the documents spread out on the desk.

The increasing tension between the shinobi nations would make anyone worried, but the person who was always affected the most was-

There was a knock on the door before it opened.

"Hokage-sama. Shizune-san," he greeted.

"Neji-san, you're back." At the mention of his name, Tsunade's head shot up.

"About time, Hyuuga," Tsunade said as Neji walked into the room, closing the door behind him.

"I apologize for the delay, however there were several complications that caused the mission to last longer than expected."

"Well, did you find anything?"

"I discovered and intercepted the delivery of this scroll two weeks ago. The rest of the information will be included in my report," Neji concluded, reaching into his pouch for said scroll and handing it to Tsunade. Ripping it open, she scanned the contents hurriedly before her mouth set itself into a grim line. The two other people in the room didn't know what was written inside, but judging from the Godaime's expression, it couldn't have been anything good.

"Good work, Neji," Tsunade finally said.

Neji nodded, but his mind was somewhere else. He wanted to ask Tsunade about Tenten, but thought better of it; the Hokage was busy enough as it is. He would just have to ask Lee or Hinata the next time he saw either of them.

"You should go home and get some rest. You look exhausted," Shizune said kindly. "And Lee-san has been waiting for you to get back. He said that he needed to talk to you."

After muttering a quick word of thanks, Neji excused himself and left Tsunade's office.

* * *

"Our beautiful flower has fully regained her youthful glow! Her training has been most effective and she has even learnt a wonderful new jutsu!"

Neji grunted a 'hn' in response as he parried a series of kicks and punches with his Jyuken. Both of them were evenly matched until Lee leapt forward, performing his signature spinning kick.

The minute he heard about Neji's return after coming back from a mission of his own, Lee had immediately rushed over to the Hyuuga complex to find him. Even though he hadn't verbally asked, he knew that his teammate would want to know what went on during his absence, specifically with their other teammate.

"Hokage-sama says that she can start going on missions again tomorrow."

Neji dodged the first and blocked the second one that succeeded the one before it almost instantaneously. Then he decided to go on the offensive. Lee's speed enabled him to avoid most of the assault, but he was gradually being overpowered.

Just as Neji was about to deliver the final strike, they heard the sound of the main door sliding open followed by a familiar voice.

"I'm looking for Hyuuga Neji. Is he-" The newcomer raised one perfect eyebrow when she realized what was taking place and who was taking part in it. "Lee, what are you doing here?"

"I came to catch up with a friend," the green-clad ninja explained. The girl walked over to join him and his sparring partner, her eyes widening when she saw the person standing next to her teammate.

"You're-"

"You know him?" Both he and Neji were equally surprised when she nodded.

"We met at the memorial about three months ago, but I didn't have a chance to ask for his name."

"Oh." Lee's face fell slightly. "This is Hyuuga Neji."

She turned to face the white-eyed boy. "It's nice to meet you, Neji-san," she said smilingly. "I'm Tenten."

"Aa."

"You wanted to see me?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Err... Tsunade-sama sent me to find you. We're supposed to report for a mission briefing. You too, Lee."

With that said, the three of them headed in the direction of Hokage Tower.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama, I've brought Lee and Neji," Tenten called out. She opened the door and all three of them walked inside. The first thing Neji noticed was the scroll containing the mission report that he had submitted a few days ago sitting on a corner of the cluttered desk.

"I'm sorry for sending you off on a mission so soon after you got back from another one," Tsunade said, ducking under her desk as though searching for something. "It's a pretty simple one, but if you don't feel up to it, I'll get someone to replace you."

"That won't be necessary, Hokage-sama," Neji replied respectfully as Tsunade sat down on her chair.

"Very well." She cleared her throat and began addressing all three of the shinobi assembled before her.

"Your mission is to go to Lava Country. It's one of the smaller countries located along the eastern border of Fire Country near the coast. Recently, however, they've been gaining attention because of their rapidly expanding economy. We're thinking of establishing trade agreements with Lava, so I'm sending the three of you there to facilitate this.The rest of the information is in these."

Tsunade gave Neji three identical scrolls. "Hyuuga Neji will be the captain of this team. You'll leave tomorrow morning, so you should get there around noon. I've already informed the Daimyo of Lava Country of this arrangement. Any questions?"

"No," they replied in unison.

Tsunade nodded. "You're dismissed."

On their way down to the lobby, Neji started looking through one of the scrolls.

"I've calculated the fastest route to Lava Country, but the journey will take at least five hours. We'll meet at the main gates tomorrow at sunrise, which should give us enough time to-"

"Tenten." Everyone's attention snapped to the source of the voice. Neji's eyes narrowed further when he saw who it was.

"Kazuya, I thought-" Tenten started.

"You were late for training so I figured you had a mission or something and came here," he explained with a small smile, leaning casually against the wall. "Guess I was right."

Pale lavender met storm cloud grey, each regarding the other coolly, if not coldly.

"Kazuya, this is Hyuuga-" Tenten started.

"We've met," they said simultaneously, the iciness in their tones matching right down to the last degree. The warmth returned to Kazuya's voice when he broke away from his staring match with Neji and asked, "Coming?"

Tenten was about to go over to her sparring partner when Neji stopped her, "Wait." He handed her one of the mission scrolls, the tips of his fingers accidentally brushing against hers.

"Thanks," Tenten said quickly before hurrying off to join Kazuya.

As the two of them were leaving, the dark blonde shinobi half-turned for a second to glance at the Hyuuga prodigy, slipping an arm around the shoulders of the girl walking by his side. A smile flashed across his face, more of a smirk then anything else. Neji's hand twitched, his grip on the other two scrolls tightening when he saw the triumphant look in the other boy's dark grey eyes.

Completely unaware of all that was going on around her, Tenten looked down at the scroll she was holding.

She could still feel that strange tingling sensation from when his hand touched hers.

* * *

When Tenten arrived at the main gate the next morning, she found her two teammates already there, waiting.

"Sorry, I was doing some last minute training with-"

"Yosh! I shall reach Lava Country by noon or I will do four thousand laps around the town!" Tenten sighed while Neji's frown deepened.

"We're leaving," he said stiffly.

Tenten turned to look questioningly at Lee who shrugged before both of them followed their captain.

* * *

"Suzumura-sama, the shinobi from Konoha have arrived."

"Send them in," the middle-aged man sitting at the regal oak desk said, not pausing from his writing. The maid did as she was told and bowed her way out, leaving the four of them inside.

"Welcome," he said with a warm smile, standing up and offering his hand to the pale-eyed man with the air of authority. "I'm Suzumura Hiraya, the Daimyo of Lava Country. You're from the Hyuuga clan, I presume."

"Hai. It's a pleasure to meet you, Suzumura-sama. My name is Hyuuga Neji. This is Rock Lee and Tenten." Suzumura nodded to each of them in turn, smiling when he noticed that the bun-haired female ninja seemed to be gazing intently at the window behind him.

"How do you find the view, my dear?" he inquired.

"It's beautiful, Suzumura-sama."

"Suzumura-sama, I'm sure Hokage-sama has informed you of the purpose of our visit," the Hyuuga said. The Daimyo's smile widened. The Hyuuga clan did live up to their reputation, this one in particular was not one to be easily distracted. With the right training and a few years of experience, he would have made an excellent businessman. If he weren't a ninja.

"Indeed she has," he said, sounding more like the professional he was. "I am more than agreeable to forming this agreement. My only condition is that Hidden Leaf provides defense for my country when and where it is necessary.

"I understand. I will send a message to Hokage-sama regarding this matter. My teammates and I will stay here until the reinforcements arrive."

Suzumura nodded cordially. "Now, I apologize for having to leave so soon. I have an appointment with some merchants from Earth Country. Perhaps you would like to rest freshen up after your journey? I'll arrange for one of my servants to show you to your lodgings and bring you back here later to finalize the details."

"You're very kind, Suzumura-sama," the Hyuuga replied.

Right on cue, the servant from earlier came back in and showed the three of them out while another brought the traders from Earth into the Daimyo's office.

* * *

"I'm staying here to wait for Suzumura-sama to finish," Neji said when they reached the foyer of the Daimyo's home. "Lee, can you go scout the mountains?"

"If I can't finish every single mountain by sunset I will-" He suddenly cut himself off in mid-rant. "Tenten, are you alright?"

The weapon mistress snapped out of her daze and saw her teammates looking at her concernedly.

"If you're tired, you can go back to the inn to rest. I'll take care of scouting the town after I meet Suzumura-sama."

"Oh... Okay."

Though slightly shocked by her lack of argument, Neji didn't say anything else. The servant proceeded to lead Tenten away from her teammates and out of the building.

"Hey, you're a kunoichi right?" a deep voice asked. Tenten looked to her left and saw a man approaching her.

"We don't usually get ninja around here, but I have something that might interest you." He took out wooden box and opened it. Inside was a set of kunai, the tips unusually shinier than most.

"These can cut through anything; the diamonds were mined from our very own mines at the base of the volcano." He paused to gesture at the tallest mountain in the distance. "We're famous for them."

Tenten picked up one and examined it, admiring the craftsmanship.

"Tell you what, since you're so cute I'll sell them to you at half price," the man grinned. Tenten was about to say something when someone cut in.

"Excuse me miss, the diamond is a fake."

"What would you know, you little punk?!" the man shouted angrily at the bespectacled young man standing behind Tenten. The latter didn't so much as glance at the "diamond-tipped" kunai in Tenten's hand.

"Real gems don't have this oily sheen. Anyone who sells them would know that."

The swindler snatched the kunai Tenten was holding and disappeared into the crowd. Tenten turned around to thank the young man, but he was already gone.

* * *

It was around early evening by the time Neji went to the inn and up to their room. Apparently, due to the overwhelming number of tourists, Suzumura had only managed to secure them only one room. The Daimyo had apologized for this during their second meeting, but Neji told him that it was fine, not adding that they were used to sharing a room.

Fortunately, there were three beds were arranged in a neat row against the pristine wall; the one nearest to the door was occupied.

Neji closed the door softly and walked over to his sleeping teammate.

She was wearing the same chinese-style shirt and red pants she had been in the last time he saw her. Her usually bound hair had come undone and was now splayed out in glorious brown waves on her pillow. Resisting the urge to run his fingers through it, Neji knelt down by her bed and pulled the blanket over her form. Tenten groaned and shifted slightly in her bed, but her eyes remained closed.

_She must be really tired,_ Neji thought, watching the weapon mistress' peaceful expression. _We were travelling for almost ten hours; it's only natural since she hasn't been on a mission for a while..._

The warm, fading light of the sunset had dyed the sheets a rich golden colour that contrasted beautifully with her creamy, lightly tanned skin. Her lips were curved into a small smile before they parted to say something Neji couldn't hear.

Their faces were so close that they were almost touching; a tiny crystalline droplet was clinging to her eyelashes.

_Is she..._

Neji had only seen his female teammate cry once before and that was when he woke up at the hospital after the mission to retrieve Sasuke.

_"If you ever go on a mission without me again, I'll kill you." It was an empty threat; they both knew it, but the look in her brown eyes were more than enough for him to sense that she meant every word._

_"Hn."_

_"You're such an idiot!" Tenten threw herself onto the bed on top of him, hugging him tightly._

_"The wound will re-open-"_

_"I don't care." Her voice was sounded strange and slightly muffled. Neji felt something warm and wet trickle down the back of his neck._

_"Neji wa baka..." Instead of denying it, Neji found himself leaning into her embrace, but not returning it._

Cupping her cheek, he gently brushed away her tears with his thumb. As he was doing so, Tenten turned towards his touch and started murmuring in her sleep again, her voice breathy and barely audible.

"N...Ne..."

"Neji! Tenten! I've finished scouting the mountains!"

Lee was at the doorway, waiting for his teammates' reactions to the good news. Tenten was sitting up in her bed. At the opposite end of the room, his "eternal rival" was looking out the window, his back turned.

"Hi Lee," Tenten said blearily as she rubbed her eyes.

Lee's face went from delighted to distressed. "Did I wake you up, Tenten?"

"No, I was just getting up," she lied, knowing what would happen if she didn't. "Oh, Neji-san, you're back. How did it go?"

Lee closed the door and walked over to the middle bed.

"Fine," Neji replied. "I've already sent a message to Tsunade-sama, but it will take at most a week for reinforcements to get here. Until then, we'll patrol the town in eight hour shifts starting from tomorrow."

"I can take the first one," Tenten volunteered. Neji nodded briefly in her direction and continued.

"Suzumura-sama also informed me about a group of bandits residing in the northern mountain range that he wants taken care of. Lee, you and I will go there in the morning."

A grinning Lee gave his captain a salute. "Our youth will prevail!"

Tenten shot Neji a glance before rolling her eyes. The Hyuuga genius almost smiled at his teammate's antics, but for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in him ever since they stepped foot in Lava Country.

* * *

Neji's byakugan scanned the perimeter for any sign of their targets as he and Lee raced through the forest, heading for the "abandoned" castle in the mountain where the bandits were said to have last been spotted. So far, there had been none.

"We're about one and a half kilometers away," Lee shouted loudly, trying to overcome the sound of the raging river in the valley below. "Our most youthful choice would be to continue going in our current direction."

"Aa."

Before long, the compound was within range of Neji's bloodline limit. He surveyed it carefully, his eyes narrowing when he was unable to find even the slightest indication of life inside.Genjutsu, his mind supplied instantly. It shouldn't be a problem once we get nearer, but the shinobi that's using it might be one.

But even as they drew closer, Neji's chakra enhanced vision could detect no change in the building.

"The targets have been already incapacitated," he intoned, ignoring Lee's shocked expression.

"We should-"

"There's a door on the eastern side," the Hyuuga prodigy interrupted.

He wanted to know what was going on himself.

* * *

It was evident from the way the door swung open the second Lee touched it that someone else had been here before them.

The same someone who had done their job for them.

And they found that, after venturing through several doors and down a maze of darkened corridors, that someone had done it extremely well.

"They couldn't have been dead for long," Lee said, bending down to examine one of the corpses; this one had a slash right across the jugular. "Most of the bodies are still intact."

"No." The other boy tentatively touched the dark stains splattered on the wall before turning his gaze on the twenty-odd corpses before him. "The low temperature and humidity would have slowed the decomposition. They could have been killed during or even before winter."

Neji studied the wounds on each of the bodies. They were too shallow for a kunai; probably from a kanata or maybe even a kodachi. All of them were made by a single person judging from the style in which they had been killed. Lethal, efficient, and somewhat...

Familiar.

_Hn._

"Lee." Neji pointed at the wall behind the aforementioned boy.

"Dynamic Entry!"

Stepping past the splintered doorway, Lee and Neji went upstairs.

The air was thick with the stench of decomposing flesh, but it didn't have the metallic tang of blood. The stone floor was littered with even more dead bodies of the bandits they were supposed to dispatch. This time, there were no visible injuries or lacerations that had been present on the vital areas of those on the lower level.

It was as if they had literally dropped dead.

"They were poisoned," Neji said, his white eyes taking in the dozens of cracked sake cups scattered amongst the bodies.

"But who-" Lee stopped talking when he noticed that his teammate was deep in thought.

The methods were different. Too different.

As though they were killed by two separate people.

Neji's powerful eyes narrowed before returning to their normal state. There was nothing more they could do here.

"Let's go."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Well, I'm back again.**

**Some of you may be wondering how the heck Neji got to the other side of the room so fast. He actually used Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) to get there. It's one of the more basic techniques that lets the ninja appear and disappear in an instant, allowing them to retreat or attack suddenly. Well, Neji didn't exactly use it that way, but at least it worked.**

**Beta-read by my sis and Midnight Memories. :)**


	4. Oblivious

**Disclaimer: I no own.**

* * *

It was nearly noon, yet the weather remained pleasantly cool thanks to the breeze that drifted inland from the east, carrying a faint, salty scent which reminded her of the ocean hidden behind the vast mountain ranges surrounding Lava Country.

The marketplace was lined with dozens of stalls, each adorned with brightly coloured signs, their wares neatly arranged for all to see. The hustle and bustle was mixed with the occasional shopkeeper's enthusiastic advertising to potential customers as well as their heated bargaining with patrons of their stands.

If it weren't for the multitude of unfamiliar faces and the lack of forehead protectors, she would have thought that she were back home in Konoha.

Then she noticed the looks she was getting from the people passing by. Some worried, others curious.

Suddenly feeling very conspicuous, Tenten tucked her bangs behind her ears, her fingers brushing against the symbol etched into the cool metal of the offending object.

"That's not what I meant," a undoubtedly male voice said hastily. "I just thought-"

"Well you thought wrong!" another gruffer, angrier voice shot back. "I wasn't anywhere near your precious volcano last night so you can take your observations and shove them up your-"

Tenten didn't need to hear the rest, she was already pushing her way through the crowd that had gathered in front of the one of the near-by stalls.

"Suzumura-sama allowed-"

"-restricted area-"

"-unnecessary trouble."

_So much for peaceful, _she sighed inwardly as her brown eyes took in the situation before her.

The first man, or at least the first one she noticed, was so tall and broad that he was at least three times her size. His beefy hands were clenched into large fists, making the muscles in his arms even more prominent. Fortunately, they weren't raised, but she could already feel her hand straying to her holster.

The second had a slight build that was dwarfed in comparison to the first. Even the absurdly large bag he was carrying on his back didn't make him appear bigger. On the contrary, it made him look even smaller. His hands were raised in the universal gesture of peace, and he seemed to be trying to explain something to the other man, who was obviously _not_ listening.

"Is there something going on here?" Tenten questioned loudly and with as much authority as she could muster, the metal plate strapped across her forehead flashing in the sunlight. The chatter immediately died down and heads turned to look at her.

"I assure you miss, there's nothing going on here," a smooth voice said, the owner walking out of the shade and towards Tenten. She recognized him as one of the traders from Earth.

"I apologize if my partner has caused you any trouble," he said politely before looking at the giant. "Ryu."

Tenten could clearly see the tightening of the tendons in Ryu's thick neck. However, he merely grunted and obediently followed his fellow merchant into the shop. The crowd steadily began to disperse, leaving the second man and Tenten standing in the middle of the once-congested street.

The man sighed as he bent down to pick up a pair of shattered spectacles from the ground. He tucked them into his front pocket and started to leave.

_That's-_

"Hey, wait." The young man turned around. "Thanks for the warning yesterday," Tenten said. She hadn't recognized him without his glasses.

The young man smiled back at her. "It's no problem..."

"Tenten," she filled in.

"Nice to meet you, Tenten-san. I'm Fujimura Soichiro."

* * *

"Lava Country is such a youthful place!" Lee declared jubilantly as he and Neji were passing through the crowded marketplace.

"Hn."

"Gai-sensei would love to come here. Maybe we should all come here for a vacation when we-" Lee stopped when he realized that his teammate was no longer beside him.

Several feet away, Neji was standing in front of a small shop with rows upon rows of katanas, all different shapes and sizes, displayed behind a glass window. Most were simple and plainly decorated, but some were so elaborate that the Hyuuga prodigy doubted that they could even be utilized effectively in combat.

Though, _she _would probably be able to use anything as long as it was a weapon.

"You interested in buying a sword?" A friendly middle-aged man, whom Neji assumed to be the owner of the store, asked.

Through the reflection in the glass, Neji could see Lee walking towards him.

"If you're not looking for swords, these fuuma shuriken just came in today. Specially imported from Konoha-"

Neji was already gone. Lee quickly grabbed a brochure from the shopkeeper before hurrying after him.

"It says here you can even get custom-made katana," Lee said, scanning through the contents of his flyer. "I think Tenten will be absolutely thrilled when we tell her about this-" Lee's previous excitement vanished when he saw that Neji was no longer looking at the store, but at the mountains in the distance.

"Neji, are you-"

"It's fine," Neji replied quietly.

_Because he can be there for her when I can't._

"Then, I shall continue with my shift. Say 'hello' to our youthful blossom for me."

The Hyuuga prodigy watched his over-zealous teammate thrust the sheet of paper he was holding into his hand with a salute before disappearing into the crowd. Sighing, he folded the advertisement and tucked it into his pouch in case Lee wanted it later.

Neji was supposed to see the daimyo and inform him about what happened. But before that, he needed a change of clothes.

Lava Country was definitely _not_ the place to wear thick, linen robes.

* * *

The small room was filled with steam; the mirror hanging above the sink and the glass door of the shower stall were completely fogged up by it. The warm water spraying from the showerhead ran in rivulets down her body and she could feel herself relaxing, the tension in her body disapearing like the soap suds flowing down the drain.

_"So, you're from Konoha," Soichiro said, pushing the new pair of glasses that he had retrieved from his room earlier up the bridge of his nose. Tenten nodded, taking another bite of her onigiri. _

_"What would a ninja be doing here?" _

_"Diplomatic mission." It wasn't much of an answer, but she guessed that he knew better than to ask again. Placing his chopsticks on the table, Soichiro started rifling through his bag that was on the floor beside his chair. _

_Something hit the parquet floor with a soft clatter; Tenten reached under the table to pick it up. _

_"What's this?" she asked, genuinely interested. _

_"It's a diamond from the mines here, also the reason I'm here. I came to study the rocks, mountains and other landforms. More specifically, the volcano and the diamonds..." The rest of his explanation was lost to her._

_"Tenten-san?" Tenten looked up and saw Soichiro looking at her, slightly disappointed that she hadn't been listening._

_"Oh, I'm sorry." She took a moment more to glance at the gem sitting in the middle of her palm. _

_"Here." _

A thought occurred to her then.

_That diamond was the same colour as..._

It wasn't just the color. The size, shape, how the light played on its surface; especially the way it reminded her of ice. Cool, clear and hard. Ice that would never ever break or melt.

The only difference was the feeling the it had given her. The diamond was beautiful, much more so than most of the things she had see in her seventeen years. But his eyes...

She could lose herself in them forever and never find her way out of their brilliant white depths.

There was a small squeak as Tenten turned off the steaming stream.

_That time at the memorial, he felt so... familiar. His eyes were so... sad. _

_When I saw him like that, it was as if my tears had a mind of their own..._

"What on earth is wrong with me?" she murmured, pressing her forehead against the cool, white tiles and closing her eyes. "It's been three months and I'm thinking about this now?"

She straightened up and stepped out of the stall.

"Maybe I've seen him around somewhere or went on a mission with him or something."

Tenten picked up a fluffly lavender towel from the rack and wrapped it tightly around herself. The soft fabric tickled her thighs as she walked towards the door.

"Great, now I'm taking to myself," she muttered dryly.

With a small sigh, she started to turn the knob.

* * *

Neji unlocked the door and entered the room. It was exactly the same as it had been this morning.

After closing the door and curtains, he removed his long-sleeved shirt and selected fresh Hyuuga robes from his bag. With both sets of clothes slung over his arm, he headed for the bathroom and opened the door.

There was an unexpected rush of light and warm, humid air. When Neji saw her standing in front of him, he froze.

Her wet hair fell in water-darkened tendrils around her shoulders, sticking to the sides of her face and arms. The hand that had been on the doorknob was now hanging limply at her side, the other was clutching a strip of cloth wrapped around her body.

The towel cut off any view of what was beneath, much to his relief and annoyance. It clung to her dripping figure, barely skimming her thighs and leaving her long, slim legs unhidden.

A droplet of water was trickled down her cheek as white met brown.

...

_Drip. _

The stunned confusion in her hazel eyes was replaced with wide-eyed horror.

"Kyaa!" she squealed, her arms instinctively covering her chest. Neji turned away and hastily pulled the door shut.

...

"Neji-san, could you-"

Neji was already walking over to her side of the room. In stark contrast to the unmade bed, there was a pile of neatly folded cloth sitting on the duvet.

When he knocked, the door swung open just enough for him to put his arm through. Neji handed Tenten her clothes, withdrawing his hand the second he felt the material leave it.

"Thanks."

Neji wordlessly returned to his bed and began to meditate in an attempt to get _that_ image out of his head. He was failing miserably. Any lesser man would have died of blood loss by now, but he was a Hyuuga for heaven's sake.

_Which is exactly the point. You_ do _have a kekkei genkai, you know. _

Neji's eyes snapped open and he proceeded to glare at his pillow.

"Che."

* * *

The mirror was still slightly misted from her shower earlier, but she could see tell that her face was red. The hot steam wafting around the room only made the atmosphere more uncomfortable than it already was.

The only sound she could hear was that of the water hitting the wet tiled floor, her own ragged breathing and the almost deafening, erratic pounding in her chest.

Tenten took a deep breath as she leaned against the door, forcing herself to calm down. She wasn't angry that Neji had walked in on in her.

She was downright pissed.

And no, it did not matter how well-toned his chest was.

The temperature suddenly became forty degrees warmer and she felt her face flush involuntarily.

Then again, she _was_ the one who left the door unlocked. Also, her current state of dress, or rather her lack there of, wasn't his fault either.

Tenten tossed her towel into the hamper before retrieving her clothes hanging on the rack next to it and slipping them on. Once the obi around her waist was no longer in danger of falling off, she opened the door and exited the bathroom.

Neji was sitting cross-legged on his bed, meditating by the looks of it and, thankfully, wearing a shirt. How he managed to remain so collected even after something that embarrassing was beyond her.

"Where did you get that?"

"I borrowed it from the innkeeper. It's much warmer here than it is in Konoha and most of the spare clothes I packed are for winter," she explained, avoiding his scrutinizing gaze by looking at her sleeves and tugging lightly at the cloth that ended a few centimeters below her wrist.

"It's a little big though, they ran out of the smaller sizes. I think I'll change into the ones I wore yesterday once they're washed."

She looked up and had to fight the heat that was already threatening to flood her cheeks. It could have just been over-exaggeration on her part, but his stare was so intense that it felt like he was undressing her with his eyes.

_That isn't helping._

"Err.. Neji-san, about earlier," Tenten said, staring down at the carpet when he opened his eyes and looked at her. "I forgot to lock the door and I didn't know that you'd be back so soon-"

"I apologize. I shouldn't have barged in like that," he said quietly. His emotionless voice didn't sound the least bit apologetic.

_He probably enjoyed it. _

_You know _you _did,_ the traitorous voice in her head continued smugly.

"Did anything happen?"

"Not really," Tenten answered, grateful for this temporary distraction. She sat down on her bed, pulled out a smaller towel from her bag and began to dry her hair. Unbeknownst to Tenten, her movements made the neckline of her yukata to slide just a tad bit lower, in turn causing a certain Hyuuga's throat to go dry.

"I met someone when I was in town. He's a foreigner who came to study the volcano. I thought you might want to meet him since he'd be more familiar with terrain here. He's busy now, but he should be back sometime this evening. I'll take you to see him later."

"Aa." Tenten could clearly see him swallow.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He still sounded somewhat strained, but she decided to take his word for it. Tenten bent over slightly to reach her comb which had somehow gotten from her bed to Lee's.

"What about-"

Neji stood up abruptly.

"I need to meet Suzumura-sama. We'll talk later."

He left the room without another word.

Tenten blinked, sighing before starting to brush her hair.

_Men._

* * *

"I thought your shift was until eight?"

"Neji requested for me to switch shifts with him," he said, closing the door behind him.

"Oh."

Lee watched Tenten as she sorted out her weapons and sealed them into her scrolls. There was a neat row of kunai lined up on his bed which Lee assumed was going to be placed inside her holster. She was always like this- meticulous when it concerned her weapons, and messy when it came to everything else.

_It's been months, but there's still no sign of improvement,_ Lee thought sadly.

After she had seen Neji, Tsunade-sama had called him and Gai-sensei to her office. She told them everything and forbade them from saying anything to Tenten.

_"It's for the best," the Godaime said simply, her voice betraying her own uncertainty._

_Gai nodded, his face serious and solemn. _

At the time, Lee had done the same. But even now, he still couldn't be completely sure.

_If this really is what's best for her, then what about-_

"Lee," Tenten said as she looked up momentarily from her work, interrupting the aforementioned boy's musings.

"What's Neji-san like?"

Lee's ever-present smile faltered slightly.

_She never used to call him 'san'. _

It was back in place a second later.

"Neji is the genius of the Hyuuga clan, my eternal rival and the strongest ninja I know next to Gai-sensei. He's a kind person and a very good friend."

"I see," Tenten said softly.

Even though he wanted to, Lee knew that he was honour-bound not to interfere with his teammate's affairs.

Not directly at any rate.

"Come to think of it," Lee said thoughtfully. "He looked slightly strange when I met with him earlier. Perhaps something occurred that has caused him to lose his youthful vigor."

"He looked okay to me." Tenten had busied herself with her weapons once more, but Lee noticed that her cheeks were tinged pink when she said this.

Lee's grin widened. Maybe things were going better than he'd thought.

For now, all he could do was try his best to help Tenten regain her memories. If she did, then maybe things would go back to the way they were before...

But even he wasn't naive enough to truly believe that. It was just as Gai-sensei had told him after they left the Hokage's office that night.

_"It is my duty as a sensei to guide you, and yours to assist your teammates where you can. Yet, there is only so much we are able to do. Things will change, Lee. There is nothing we can do to prevent it."_

"Hai, Gai-sensei." Tenten was so engrossed in her packing that she didn't hear Lee's softly repeating the words he had murmured back then as well.

Things were already beginning to change.

In more ways and places than one...

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**My sis was pretty amused when she read this chapter. She said "Neji isn't a pervert." I told her that as long as he is a normal (slightly questionable), healthy male with hormones, there is a possibility that he is one. All I'm doing is exploring that possiblity. ;D**

**Hmm...the only difference is the amount of -coughcough- "self-control" he has as compared to other guys and for now, it looks like he still has quite a bit left. ("I do not!" screams chibi Neji with a vein popping out the side of his head. "Ahem," coughs chibi Tenten holding a kunai. "Embrace your flames of youth, Neji!" chibi Lee and Gai shout.) XP**

**If anyone can guess what's going to happen in the next chapter, I'll give them cookies. And if you do that would mean that you're smarter than my sis!**

**Beta-read by Midnight Memories (Check out her latest fic 'Denial'. It's really good!) and my sister aka emerald-fire-angel (her summaries are really sweet).**

**Review?**


	5. Daybreak's Bell

**A/N:**

**I know I've been dead for like the last month, but I'm finally back! :)**

**I'll leave a longer note at the end, but I need to clarify something:**

**Hakke Kushou is a more focused version of the Heavenly Spin, with which Neji can expel chakra from his palm to attack opponents out of his physical reach.**

**This jutsu's strength hasn't been confirmed as it hasn't appeared in the actual series yet. I found the info from wikipedia and the Shippuuden playstation two video game. According to the latter, this jutsu was powerful enough to create a palm shaped dent in a mountain, so don't scream at me later for making Neji do something really crazy/potentially impossible with this technique.**

**Now, on with the story.**

* * *

Disclaimer: Wish I did, but I don't.

* * *

Tenten frowned in concentration, organizing her chaotic thoughts while absently twirling a kunai around her index finger. The cool, familiar smoothness of the metal was relaxing, but not relaxing enough.

Lee had already left to buy dinner before beginning his guard shift, which would leave her in the room with their other teammate for, at the very least, the next eight hours. Aforementioned, emotion impaired teammate's vocabulary, which was apparently limited to mono-syllaballic words and phrases that were more fit for missions than normal conversation, as well as his attitude were seriously getting on her nerves.

The kunai's revolution stopped abruptly as Tenten sighed. The best thing she could do was to find Soichiro-san. That way, _Hyuuga-taichou_ could meet him when he got back, and she wouldn't be all alone with him until he was finished talking with Soichiro-san, something that would hopefully take a while.

Tenten climbed off her bed and holstered her kunai before heading for the door.

Truth to be told, she had absolutely no idea why she was getting so flustered over something as trivial as this. Hyuuga Neji was was just Hyuuga Neji.

_Well he did see you in a towel so it's only fair that you got to see him shirtless._

The weapon mistress ignored the blush spreading over her cheeks as she quickened her pace.

Well, if it was any consolation, at least she was in her regular clothes again.

Tenten stopped in front of the room at the end of the hallway and knocked on the door.

* * *

The marketplace was still rather crowded, though significantly less than it had been during the day. Nonetheless, the place still retained its almost festive atmosphere.

Neji navigated his way through the streets, pausing for a moment to take a deep breath before exhaling it softly.

The distractions all the noise was providing and the cool evening air had helped.

A lot.

His meeting with Suzumura-sama hadn't taken long; the daimyo was just as concerned as he was by the discovery, and his latest order was for them to investigate the case.

However, considering the circumstances, he knew that the likelihood of his team finding anything within such a short amount of time was slim to non-existent. The mission would have to be delegated to the other ninja when they arrived at a later date.

Since then, the Hyuuga had spent the last few hours patrolling the city, as well as trying to convince himself that he _had_ averted his eyes. That way, he could deny the fact that he had seen anything.

Unfortunately for him, the latter of his two tasks had gone rather unfulfilled.

Convincing Lee to switch shifts had been easy. All he had to do was use, god forbid, the word '_youthful' i_n his explanation, and Lee was gone before the over-enthusiastic shinobi had the time to notice the real reason behind his teammate's sudden request.

A muscle in Neji's jaw twitched.

Either way, as far as he was concerned, it never happened.

Neji activated his byakugan and began expertly scanning the city one last time.

* * *

"Tenten-san," Soichiro greeted, looking up from his seat at the desk across the room. He placed the pen he was holding on the table, most of which was cluttered with scrolls and sheets of paper that were more ink than actual paper.

"Have your teammates returned?"

"Not yet, but they should be back soon," Tenten replied, closing the door behind her.

"I've drawn out some maps of the mountains and the surrounding areas. You could take a look at them if you'd like." He gestured to a small stack of unopened scrolls on his right.

"Thank you. Sorry for the trouble," Tenten said apologetically as she walked over to his desk.

"It's no problem." Soichiro smiled briefly at the kunoichi before he went back to his work.

Previously, Tenten hadn't been able to see what he was doing. But from what she could gather now, he appeared to be studying a small black stone. Scattered on the polished wood in front of him were his handwritten notes, a magnifying glass, more dark coloured rocks, and very familiar white crystal.

"What are those?" Tenten asked curiously.

"They're some of the rock samples I got from the volcano." Soichiro put the stone he was holding on the desk. He picked up the diamond and held it up to the light.

"You see, most gemstones may seem perfect on the surface, but even they have their flaws."

Tenten looked at it again, this time through the magnifying glass Soichiro was holding above it. Only then did she notice the black spot on one of the jewel's otherwise unblemished facets. It was barely visible, but still there.

"As for these..." Soichiro replaced the diamond with the black rock he had been examining earlier. Tenten smiled when she realized that there were tiny crystals embedded in the stone's surface. Even the slightest movement made them seem to sparkle, like stars against the night sky.

"You'll only find the beauty in them if you look hard enough."

A cool breeze was drifting in from the open window on the wall to their left, but for some reason, Tenten felt a shiver sweep down her spine.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something land on the floor directly underneath the window. A second later, the room was filled with dark purple smoke.

Tenten's hand flew to her holster, but it was already too late. She only just managed to draw a kunai when a hand gripped her throat tightly, pinning her against the wall. Her assaliant jerked her wrist upwards sharply, forcing her to drop the kunai.

Gasping for breath, she grabbed onto the man with her free hand, digging her fingernails into his arm. He didn't even notice as he continued squeezing the life out her.

The smokescreen was starting to dissipate, but his mask and the spots dancing before her eyes prevented her from identifying him. She was getting dizzy, either from the lack of air, effects of the smoke, or both. Her arms had fallen limply at her side and she could feel herself slowly succumbing to the darkness.

Tenten was barely aware of the door banging open and a familiar voice shouting.

"Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou!"

* * *

The pressure on her neck vanished and she slid to the floor, coughing violently as she choked on the air filling her lungs. The assassin lurched, stumbled, and fell on the floor right beside her.

"Tenten!"

Eventually, her coughs subsided and her vision faded back into focus.

"Lee," she breathed groggily as the boy stooped down to help her up. "How-"

"We saw the smoke."

_We?_

Then Tenten remembered what she heard earlier. Even with his extensive array of taijutsu techniques, Lee didn't have one with that name.

There was the sound of footsteps approaching. Tenten's breathing was rapid and heavy as she looked up and saw Neji walking towards her, or more accurately, her attacker.

_Were those ninja even after _me_?_

Tenten glanced at Soichiro who was slumped against the desk, rendered unconscious by the sedative in the smoke. Behind him, the large frame of a second black-clad man lay spread-eagled on the floor.

If she hadn't been here, he would have certainly been killed; and if Lee and Neji hadn't arrived in time, she would have been dead as well.

When Neji bent down and ripped off the cloth covering the lower half of her attacker's face, Tenten's eyes widened.

"Who sent you here?" Neji questionned.

The "merchant" from Earth remained silent.

Neji glared at him with the full force of those piercing white eyes, the veins around them swollen with what Tenten guessed was chakra. Yet, the cool sheen of anger in his quiet voice was as controlled as ever.

"Do not make me repeat myself again. Who sent you?"

To the stone-nin's credit, he did not flinch. His eyes had stopped their pitiful attempt at finding an escape route that wasn't there.

"Iwakage-sama sent us to plant a bomb."

"Where?"

The man merely smirked.

SLAM!

There was a sickening crack as something broke. It wasn't the wall.

The stone-nin let out a small gasp of pain; Neji tightened his grip on the man's collar.

"You'll never find it," the stone nin said with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. A dark trickle of blood dripped down the side of his mouth as he spoke.

"...At dawn, you and this pathetic country will be destroyed."

* * *

_First the bandits and now this, _Neji sighed inwardly, resisting the urge to massage his temples. He could feel the tiredness creeping up on him, but he ignored it the best he could.

The two stone-nin were currently being interrogated by some of the daimyo's soldiers. They wouldn't be escaping anytime soon, courtesy of their sealed tenketsu points, but if they really were the professionals they claimed to be, they wouldn't be talking either.

The only option left was to find the bomb themselves.

But time was already running out.

There was soft buzzing sound followed by a voice in his ear.

"Nothing to report in the western marketplace, Hyuuga-sama. All the civilians in the area have made it safely to the mountains."

"Good. Move on to the next area," he replied into the microphone clipped to his collar.

"Hai."

Luckily for them, the city wasn't as expansive as most, but it was still large enough for its boundaries to be outside of byakugan's range; and judging from the amount of time the stone-nins had, it wasn't likely that they would have a very elaborate set up.

He had considered using byakugan, but the bomb could be disguised as literally anything.

It was like looking for a needle in a hay stack without even knowing if it was a needle they were looking for.

_Or better yet, whether it's even there._

Up till now, the search had been focused on the central areas of the city. Even with the help of the civilians, their efforts had turned up nothing and they had no choice but to widen the search perimeters.

But, even if they did find it, there was no telling whether or not they would be able to disarm it.

Surprisingly, when Neji informed the daimyo of the impending crisis his country was facing, the latter was composed and almost completely unperturbed.

_"I'll organize a full evacuation of the city immediately and grant you command over my soldiers. Will that be sufficient?" the daimyo asked._

_"Suzumura-sama, I can understand why you don't want to involve the civilians, but we don't have a choice." _

_Even though the daimyo didn't want to admit it, Neji knew that he was right. _

_No one knew a city better than the citizens themselves._

_"Then, I give you permission to do what you see fit." _

_Neji nodded, bowing before making his way towards the door._

_"Hyuuga-san, I can see you're wondering why I can remain so calm." _

_The simple statement made Neji stop, but he did not answer. _

_"If a country is doing well," Suzumura continued, "those who stand to gain will be jumping onto the band wagon while those who don't will be throwing every spanner and wrench they can find into the works." _

_There was a hint of amusement in his weary voice as he said this, but his eyes betrayed the real story, the very reason for the alliance with Konoha. _

_"It's only a matter of when and how..."_

_And that 'when',_ Neji thought, watching everyone around him, soldiers and civilians alike, frantic and fearful as they rushed around, searching for anything that was there when it wasn't supposed to be.

_Is now._

A beep and another voice. "Neji."

"What is it?"

"We've found something at the mines."

Neji broke off into a sprint.

"I'm on my way. Make sure no one touches it. Tell the guards to direct all civilians taking refuge there away from the vicinity."

"What about Tenten?"

"Ask her to meet with us there. Her channel number is 103," Neji said, his tone softening slightly.

"Roger." Lee's unusually serious voice faded into a hiss of static.

* * *

Although everything as far as the eye could see was still shrouded in shadow, no one was the least bit fooled by the facade. Daybreak was fast approaching, its crimson aura creeping over the mountains behind them, spreading across the gradually lightening horizon.

"This is the only one in the area, Tenten-san," Soichiro said as he walked over to join the two Leaf-nin. "I'm sorry. If I'd told someone sooner-"

"It wasn't your fault you were unconscious. If you hadn't told us, we wouldn't even have thought of checking here-"

"And it was thanks to your youthful spirit that we found it! You have our eternal gratitude, Soichiro-san!" Lee exclaimed brightly.

"Are you sure you don't want to leave?" Tenten asked worriedly. "If you go now-"

Soichiro shook his head. "I'll stay here to guide you back after you've finished."

"Thanks." Tenten turned to smile at the man beside her, but her smile was half-hearted.

"Yosh! All we have to do is wait for Neji. He's a Jounin so he will know what to do..."

It was at times like these that she found herself envying her teammate's naive optimism; his ability to have hope even though there was close to none...

Lee's knowledge about bombs wasn't exactly the best since he hardly used them, and although she was reasonably proficient in their usage and disarmament, she was a weapon mistress, not an explosives expert-

_Poof._

"Where is it?" Neji's smooth voice cut her thought short, almost comforting in it's authorativeness.

After a few minutes of examining the bomb with his doujutsu, Neji looked up, his blank gaze meeting hers.

_Damn._

"Can you disarm it?" he questionned.

"I can try."

It was the best answer she could give.

Neji stepped aside to let her through; Tenten knelt down on the ground beside the black, wooden box. Using the tip of a kunai, she unscrewed the lid before carefully removing it and delving into the mass of wires inside. Her hands were shaking more and more with every passing second, but she told herself to relax.

This was a delicate operation that couldn't be rushed. One wrong move and the stupid thing would just blow up in their faces. Or hers to be more precise.

_Yeah, no pressure. _

A few more minutes passed and Tenten was still working, unsure whether or not to be thankful for the better visibility.

_Found it! _

Dawn's first light penetrated the darkness and, as though time had ground to a halt, there was a moment of complete silence...

...then the world exploded.

* * *

Despite being slightly disoriented, Neji was the first to recover from the initial shock.

The blast had been loud enough to temporarily deafen them, but other than that, everyone else seemed alright.

He took a quick once over of his surroundings. Apart from the definite increase in the amount of light shining through the thin curtain of mist that had settled over the city and the surrounding mountains during the night, the landscape around them was totally unchanged.

Neji was certain that he had seen Tenten cut the wire connected to the detonator, the proof was lying innocently on the ground at her feet.

Then, he heard his own hollow voice saying what all of them had been afraid to think.

"It's a decoy."

"Then where-" Lee was cut off when a sudden tremor caused the ground to shudder beneath their feet. His question hadn't been directed at anyone in particular, but it was about to be answered.

'Hyuu--ma-"

Neji tried to adjust his malfunctioning earpiece, but he could barely make out what the man was trying to say though the shrill whine of interference, the latter of which only served to aggravate his headache, as well as the ringing in his ears.

"--the--vol--c--"

Neji whirled around, eyes widening when he saw the glowing river of ash and molten rock steadily oozing out the top of the volcano and down the largest valley.

The one that lead straight to the city and the surrounding mountains.

__

It was in the crater of the volcano.

The realization of the seemingly recklessness, yet sheer ingeniuity of the stone-nin's plan hit him like a ton of bricks.

This was one explosion they wouldn't be able to stop. No one would. The entire incident would be blamed on a supposedly _natural _disaster as long as no one lived to say otherwise.

Their desired effect had already been achieved.

But, there was one fatal flaw. By squandering their element of surprise during their earlier, albeit failed assassination attempt, the stone shinobi had provided them with the possibility of stopping them.

Hyuuga Neji had never failed a mission before, and he wasn't about to start now.

"How long?" he asked Soichiro.

"The lava will reach the city within the next twenty minutes. There won't be enough time to evacuate."

"Isn't there some way we can divert the lava?" Tenten asked.

Soichiro spent several precious seconds thinking before he was able to give an answer.

"The main valley branches off somewhere along the way. If you could somehow block the valley leading to the city, the lava would flow into the one leading to the sea. I can come with you to show you where, but this method requires a lot of precision-"

"There won't be a problem," Neji said.

"Let's go."

* * *

Lee lowered a slightly nauseous looking Soichiro, who had been slung over his shoulder, back onto solid ground. Admittedly, it wasn't the most comfortable or dignified way to travel, but time was of the essence.

It had taken them almost ten minutes to reach the place Soichiro had been talking about.

Within that same amount of time, the lava had flowed faster than they had expected and some of it was already making its way down the part of the valley below.

They didn't have much time left.

"There," Soichiro said, pointing at something on the the upper part of the valley that was within their line of sight.

The target was massive; a large, overhanging scarp on a cliff on the opposite side of the one they were standing on. Missing would be the biggest embarrassment of her career.

Tenten summoned several kunai with explosive tags attached from the scroll on her back as her sniper's eye did a quick sweep of the terrain. There were simply too many trees.

"I'm going down there."

"But, it's too dangerous!" Lee protested.

"Tenten-san," Soichiro added in a persuasive tone, but only managing to sound a note barely below horrified by her bravey or foolishness. "Maybe you should let-"

The kunoichi cut him off, her voice unintentionally more forceful than it had been.

"I have to go. I'm the only one who can do this."

It was silent until Tenten saw Neji making his way towards the edge of the cliff.

"Neji-sa-"

"You said you were going, didn't you?"

At this, Tenten quickly went over to join Neji before both of them jumped down into the valley together.

Up close, the lava was the exact same bright, reddish orange of newly forged metal before it was cooled in water, but the amount of heat radiating from this was a hundred times worse.

She could already feel the perspiration trickling down the sides of her face, and her vision was beginning to blur in the lack of humidity, but she managed to take her aim and throw the kunai.

A second later, Tenten knew that she had missed.

* * *

Neji had seen the kunai veer upwards, and he knew she had as well.

The heat was causing the air to rise, which in turn caused the kunai to go off target. Unfortunately, there was nothing either of them could do to prevent that.

He saw her gritting her teeth in irritation as she realized the same thing he had before she quickly summoned another set of kunai.

She started to form a series of handseals that were strangely familiar, and at the same time, not. Neji didn't know whether it was a jutsu he had seen before or a variation of one, but whatever it was, he hoped that it would work.

Failure wasn't an option; there was simply too much at stake.

"Hakke Kushou!"

A wall of Neji's chakra was pushing against the lava, holding it back to give her enough time to complete the hand signs for her technique.

His white eyes caught her shocked stare.

"What are you doing? I can't keep this up for much longer."

Her expression was replaced with one of concentration and she launched her kunai. This time, her aim remained true and the kunai buried themselves into the rock.

Neji stopped his technique and both of them began leaping up the sides of the valley.

Then, the rock beneath her feet crumbled, her leverage instantly lost.

In that split second he had before she fell out of his reach, Neji's chakra-enhanced eyes had clearly seen his own horror mirrored in her chocolate orbs. His anxiety had flooded him in a sudden, savage rush; and it was that surge of adrenaline, and the chakra that accompanied it, that had enabled him to catch his teammate's flailing hand before barely managing to get them both back up to safety.

"It worked," he said shortly, lowering her onto the ground.

He ignored Lee's barrage of "are you alright"s as well as the not so varied variations of the question, but the girl beside him nodded, her chest rising and falling unevenly as she looked up at him.

"Arigato, Neji-san."

On the endless expanse of deep blue just visible behind the mountain range, Neji could see the sun rising over the horizon as Tenten detonated the explosive tags.

* * *

One week later, in her ever-messy office, Tsunade was reading the letter Neji and the others had brought back with them after their trip to Lava, a large majority of which was spent commending her shinobi on their excellent work on dealing with the recent incident.

The Hokage wasn't the least bit surprised when she read and heard that those responsible had been a bunch of stone-nins.

Apart from the revenue generated by their ninja village, the economy of Earth country was mainly dependant on the export of natural resources, namely ores and precious stones. It was no surprise as to why they would want to sabotage Lava country, but she didn't expect them to go so far as to threatening to destroy an entire city and sacrificing thousands of lives just to eliminate the competition cutting a share of their market.

_But all's well that ends well, _Tsunade supposed, placing the letter inside a relatively empty drawer of her desk.

After checking that no one was coming, the Godaime reached under her desk for the sake Suzumura had so graciously provided her with along with a sake cup she had hidden away for special occasions such as this.

Shizune had gone off to run some errands earlier so she wouldn't be back for a while, and she would be free to have a nice long break until she did come back.

Tsunade poured the alcohol into the cup she and gulped it down with a flourish.

This was definitely the beginning of a very, very good friendship...

* * *

"What are you doing?"

"We are going to train!" Lee exclaimed, practically dragging one less than enthusiastic Hyuuga Neji towards the forest. "Training is most vital for the maintaining and development of our skill as ninja-"

"I was training before you interrupted me."

Lee gasped.

"But you were training alone! Traning by yourself is a sign of anti-socialness, and being anti-social is unyouthful!"

Neji didn't know whether to be insulted or not. The way Lee said it made it sound as though wanting some peace was the end of the world.

At least Gai wasn't here to add onto the already incessant chatter.

Then again, if Lee was the one who organized this training session, it was highly likely that their former sensei would be invited to join in their, as Lee had put it, 'celebration of their youthfulness'.

"-training with teammates fosters better relationships between the team's members and better team work on missions..."

Neji merely sighed and continued trying to block out the rest of Lee's tirade.

"Let go of my arm."

* * *

When they arrived at the clearing, Neji was relieved to see it empty apart from himself and Lee, but he had this feeling that something was amiss.

"Lee, you're late!" The musical strains of her voice drifted over the wind to him, the source stepping out from behind a tree, katana in hand and a smile on her face. "Oh. Good morning, Neji-san," she greeted cheerfully.

"Tenten, would you mind if Neji joins us for training?"

Neji's narrowed eyes bore into his grinning teammate, but his glare was not as forceful as he would have liked. In fact, his response was more of an instinct than an actual reflection of how he felt, a more accurate description of which would be along the lines of caught off guard.

But not in a bad way.

"It's okay with me," she shrugged.

"YOSH! Let's begin!"

While they were setting up targets and the rest of their training equipment, Tenten asked.

"Ne, can I just call you 'Neji'? Neji-san' is a little long."

Neji nodded in reply and she smiled, something he hadn't seen for a very long time.

"Could you show me the jutsu you did the other day, Neji?"

"Aa."

Neji made a mental note to thank Lee later.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I have re-written this chapter so many times, as well as cleared nearly a dozen writer's blocks within the last few weeks that I decided I'd better just go ahead and post it. After my dear friend Midnight Memories beta-read it of course. ;)**

**Unfortunately, Jue is a little busy at the moment and doesn't have much time to reply to my emails and such. I really really really miss her and I'd hug her, but I'm on the wrong side of the world. T-T. Many thanks, and praises for your time management skills, for helping me with this chapter even though you're so busy. Domo arigatogozaimashita! Good luck with your ISU! 3**

**This is the end to this arc of the story and I'll be moving on to something new in the next chapter. A little hint: New and old OCs will be coming back/appearing in the next chapter. ;)**

**Byeeeee.**


	6. Birthday: The Day It All Began

**A/N:**

**I know you guys want to read your chapter and aren't all that interested in reading the ramblings of the authoress, but it's quite important.**

**If you're one of the readers who have been with me from the start and haven't read the story for a long time, I advise you to go back and read the beginning too before you start on this chapter. I know it's my fault because I haven't updated for a long time, but it'll help a lot for this chapter coz it's mainly an OC's POV this time and it can get a bit confusing if you're not really clear about who the OCs are so far.**

**My eternal gratitude to Midnight Memories for beta reading this chapter. The original was super long (I've split it up into two chapters) and really screwed up, so a big thank you to her for her excellent editing. **

**Right. I'll just shut up now and leave you to your chapter.**

* * *

Disclaimer: The Naruto-verse and all associated characters are the creation of Masashi Kishimoto (not me).

* * *

Spring was coming to an end.

In accordance with the change in seasons, the weather had grown increasingly warmer over the last few months. Everyone had long since discarded their winter wear in favour of lighter, loose-fitting clothing they deemed more appropriate for the approaching summer. Yet, as though unwilling to leave or to be forgotten that easily, the cool spring breeze was accompanied with the sweet, almost undetectable scent of cherry blossoms.

The sakura trees had flowered later than usual this year. Some had been afraid that they wouldn't bloom at all before summer set in. However, their fears had been allayed, and their joy heightened when this year's sakura flowers had, in the opinion of many villagers, blossomed even more beautifully than they had for the last ten or so years.

Perhaps it had been the long wait that had made it seem so, but whatever it was, Tenten couldn't help but share the same sentiments as majority of Konoha's inhabitants.

"Back so soon?"

Tenten shrugged off the scroll on her back and threw herself onto the grass.

"Which daimyo's wife was it this time?" the boy sitting beside her asked teasingly.

Tenten didn't know, nor did she care. She merely closed her eyes as her earlier tiredness and irritation began ebbing away.

Despite having been promoted to Chuunin quite some time ago, Tenten had been appalled to find that some of the missions she received were on a similar level to those she had received as a Genin.

No matter how much the owner was willing to pay, and regardless of whether or not the stupid thing was oblivious to the differences between a person and a scratching post, catching a cat was_ not _considered a mission.

However, although it meant a slight decrease in her income, the lack of "real" missions was good news. No missions meant that everything was peaceful both in and outside Konoha.

"I thought you'd be off training with Lee and Hyuuga by now," he commented lightly, though she could hear the hidden question behind his playful tone.

"Neji's on a mission and Lee said something about running five thousand laps around Fire Country."

Tenten opened her eyes and saw the blond shinobi suppressing a smirk. He hadn't been all that familiar with Lee before, but the last few months of being on the same team with said ninja had well-acquainted him with the former's "youthful" ways, something which he'd found rather amusing once he had gotten over the initial shock.

He stood up, nonchalantly brushing away the pink and white petals that had landed in his hair and clothes while he was resting.

"Since neither of them are going to be back any time soon, you up for a spar?"

Tenten smiled and accepted the hand Kazuya offered.

* * *

She landed on a sakura covered branch before pushing herself off of it, successfully dodging the fuuma shuriken heading her way. The shuriken's blades skimmed off the tops of several flower petals where her feet had been moments ago.

_There goes another one._

Tenten glanced guiltily at the pale pink fragments drifting down to earth and then threw a kunai in the direction the fuuma shuriken had come from.

As Kazuya jumped up to dodge her kunai, his eyes caught hers for a fraction of a second, long enough for her to see the smirk in his eyes.

Tenten turned her head back to see the fuuma shuriken from earlier hurtling towards her. She reached hurriedly into her pouch as she flipped through the air to avoid it. Her fingers met metal and she pulled out a weapon just in time to block the second attack by the same shuriken. Tenten caught the metal ring of Kazuya's fuuma shuriken, formed the necessary hand seals, and hurled both it and the one she had used to block his at him.

The first one she had thrown whistled past his head and lodged itself in the ground, but he had snatched the second out of the air and sent it flying back at her.

Tenten watched her own windmill shuriken speeding towards her. It curving below her at the last minute, missing her by the merest of millimetres. With a small smile, her chakra charged feet landed on the fuuma shuriken at exact moment that it was directly beneath her, before she leapt off it and even higher into the air.

Her fuuma shuriken changed direction instantly. Kazuya landed with a flip to grab the fuuma shuriken embedded in the ground, simultaneously catching the one she had used as leverage when it came back to him, before finally assuming a defensive stance with one shuriken in each hand.

Tenten pulled her scroll off her back and performed a quick pirouette in mid-air to unravel it. The large, symbol covered strip of paper formed a graceful arc in the cloudless sky. She paused for a moment to summon the necessary chakra into her fingertips and to savour the expression on Kazuya's face.

"Soryuu Tensakai!"

Seconds later, her entire arsenal was raining down on her opponent.

Kazuya's wide-eyed shock was replaced with a grin as he pulled out several more of his trademark fuuma shuriken and threw all of them at once.

The air was filled with a series of loud clangs as the barrage of weapons hit the five fuuma shuriken hovering above Kazuya, blocking only those that were headed straight for him. The rest merely embedded themselves in the grass surrounding him.

Before the dust from her attack had settled, two fuuma shuriken came whizzing past her, leaving behind two small tears on the edge of her sleeve. By the time she turned her attention back to the ground, Tenten could feel something cold and hard pressed lightly on the back of her neck.

"I win."

* * *

"What now?"

"I have to leave in couple of minutes, so we can relax for a while," Kazuya replied as he lowered himself onto the grass, waiting for Tenten to finish her packing.

As she was sitting down, she heard him say. "I have something for you."

Tenten blinked, looking curiously at the blonde boy as he reached into the holster where he kept his spare weapons. His free hand motioned for her to hold hers out and when she obliged, he placed a brand new fuuma shuriken on her open palm.

"The one I gave you before broke that time, right?"

Tenten nodded, wincing visibly. That definitely had not been one of her better missions.

Kazuya's cheerfulness vanished instantly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright," she smiled.

"Anyway, this is your real present." Kazuya turned around to retrieve said present from his pouch, not noticing the look of confusion on his companion's face. "I got it on my last mission to Snow," he continued, dropping a small box, neatly wrapped with glossy ice-blue paper, onto Tenten's lap.

"Happy birthday," he said quickly, keeping his head bowed and his eyes on the ground.

Tenten merely stared at him, her brows knotting in confusion.

"It's my birthday?"

The young man looked up at her abruptly with an almost incredulous expression.

"You mean you don't remember your own birthday?"

"Well, my birthday is usually after sakura season so I got my dates messed up," she blushed, before smiling brightly at him. "Thanks. It's nice that you remembered," Tenten said, picking the little box up, but not opening it.

"How much did you spend on this?" she asked, turning to Kazuya with a meaningful glance.

"Not much," he shrugged, blatantly avoiding her gaze. "Besides, it's to... err..."

"You don't have to apologize for that. You've done more than enough to make it up to me," she murmured the last line softly, fingering the symbol engraved on her new weapon.

The Fuuma clan did not have a kekkei genkai, and it just so happened that they happened to specialize in the one thing she was best at. That, combined with the fact that she was on quite good terms with its heir, had allowed her to learn their jutsu. It hadn't been easy, but she had succeeded to some extent. That jutsu had saved their lives during the mission in Lava.

But clan jutsus weren't something that could be taught to anyone, even within the clan itself. Lee had told her about how especially secretive the Hyuuga clan was about their techniques, so much that they had a complex main and branch house system to maintain this secrecy. After spending so much time with a few Hyuugas herself, Tenten had gotten a pretty good idea of how most of their jutsus worked. However, byakugan and exceptional chakra control were necessary for almost all the Hyuuga techniques she'd seen so far.

Needless to say, she wasn't going to learn a Hyuuga technique any time soon.

"You know, you shouldn't be so hasty during battle. If you focus enough, your control would be as good as mine."

Tenten rolled her eyes slightly as she tucked the gleaming fuuma shuriken into her thigh holster. Maintaining a general direction was easy, but actually changing it was beyond her, whereas Kazuya's control was so precise that the path of his projectiles was accurate right down to the last degree.

To put it plainly, compared to him, she sucked.

"But you've gotten better," Kazuya said, staring straight ahead, not seeing the 'are you completely insane?' look she was giving him.

"The Chuunin exams are coming," he said suddenly. Tenten could only sigh.

Their first Chuunin exam had been, for a lack of a better word, a disaster. She'd lost terribly to Temari and Lee had nearly gotten killed by Gaara all in the same day. Kazuya's team, on the other hand, didn't even make it to the semi-finals.

"That move earlier, you used it the first time we fought," he commented absently.

"Really?"

"It's been years, no wonder you don't remember," Kazuya murmured with an unusually unfocused look in his grey eyes, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

* * *

_It started off with a few tiny droplets, but it was getting heavier and heavier by the minute. The corpse of the giant snake that had been attacking her lay limp on the forest floor; the blood that had spurted out onto the ground when he'd killed it was slowly being washed away by the rain that had began to fall. _

_"I thought we were enemies." _

_"Enemy or not, I won't deny my help when it's needed," he said almost gently, offering a hand which she did not take. He decided to try a different approach. "Look, if we don't get out of this rain, both of us are going to die from hypothermia," he added in a more business-like tone._

_When she didn't respond, he grabbed her hand and helped her up._

_"There's a cave further up ahead, we can take shelter there."_

* * *

_The Chuunin exams, huh... _

Kazuya had seen the way her brown eyes flickered thoughtfully as she remembered.

_If she remembers. _

Even if she didn't, he did.

He hadn't been specifically targeting her team nor had he intended to. She had just been unfortunate enough to walk right into his team's genjutsu trap. Of course, his teammates hadn't been too keen on continuing with the plan, and he would have agreed with them if Hyuuga Neji hadn't shown up.

So they had fought, and if his team hadn't retreated, they'd have lost.

Before they began, she had tried to convince them that they didn't need to fight. But, at the time, he had convinced himself that they had no other choice but to fight.

_There was always a choice..._

_You just refused to see it. _

Then, almost as if to reiterate the point, the cold words he had spoken to her replayed themselves in his mind.

_"Tenten-san, when we're in this forest, everyone else is an enemy regardless of any personal history or relationship we may have with them..."_

Kazuya winced inwardly. Then again, he would rather have her not remember that particular part.

Their first meeting as actual shinobi instead of academy classmates hadn't exactly left a very good first impression. But their next encounter had been mere hours after their first, a single meeting of sheer chance that had changed both of their lives forever. If the situation had played out differently from the way it had, or if his and her circumstances hadn't given him the chance to redeem himself in her eyes, she wouldn't be sitting besides him right now

In their right mind, no one would ever imagine that they'd be saving the person they'd attacked only hours ago...

* * *

_"Are you going to take me hostage for our scroll or something?" _

_"First of all, I'm not that kind of guy. Second, your team has the Heaven's scroll too."_

_He was amused when her eyes widened. "How did you-"_

_"That doujutsu that Hyuga used can see through things right? If we had the scroll you needed, he wouldn't have let us go," he answered simply, ignoring her scrutinizing stare as he returned to his work._

_"By the way, what were you doing out at this time?" _

_"Scouting," she replied briefly, not meeting his gaze._

_"Hyuga's idea I presume." He reached for one of the sticks and an explosive tag. "I thought I was the only one who came up with that idea."_

_For a long time, the only sound that could be heard was the rain tapping on the ground and the crackling of the wood as it burned. The entire cave was bathed in the orange glow of the fire. She edged closer to it, __but h__e could still see her shivering from the chill that lingered where the warmth of the fire could not reach. Her distrust was understandable and more than justified, but even though he knew that is was his fault, he still felt slightly hurt that she would rather freeze than sit any closer to him._

_"You made an interesting move back there," he said, trying to start a conversation in an effort to ease her tenseness. _

_Her emotionless mask was replaced with an expression that could only be described as stunned._

_"Nani?"_

_"With the fuuma shuriken," he explained. "Most ninja outside my clan who use it only think of it as a shuriken. Not many people are aware that it can be used as a kunai." _

_"Thanks." She didn't say anything else, but her eyes betrayed her confusion. _

_"Err...That jutsu you used, is it a bloodline limit?" she asked hesitantly, fingering the edge of her damp shirt that was growing less so by the minute. _

_"It's a clan jutsu. Did you like it?" _

_She nodded immediately, her true personality shining through from behind the emotionless mask she had tried to maintain before. He shook his head slowly, as the corners of his lips curved upwards into an amused smile._

_"You're very different from other girls."_

_Their eyes met for the first time since he had found her in the forest. Her gaze held only curiosity and what seemed to be barely hidden surprise that he could read from her expressive eyes like an open book. _

_She wasn't as good at hiding her emotions as she thought. _

_Although he hadn't really noticed her back when they were classmates, he had seen enough to know that she wasn't one of the spoiled rich girls his position usually forced him to deal with; nor was she one of the gushing, superficial girls that made up most of Konoha's female population. _

_She held a simplicity and sincerity that most of the other girls he knew lacked. An inner strength that was evident from their earlier encounter. She was an anomaly, an intriguing one._

_And he liked it. _

_It was only when she blushed and looked away that he realized that he had been staring at her too intently. He quickly averted his gaze to glance at the outside world through the cave's entrance. _

_"The rain is stopping, we should be able to leave soon."_

* * *

_It's already been four years..._

Kazuya turned to look at Tenten. He could feel her relaxing, smiling to herself as she tossed her new fuuma shuriken into the air before catching it with a laziness and ease that spoke of talent.

He found himself mirroring her smile as he watched. The wave of nostalgia from earlier faded away and he allowed himself to simply enjoy this single moment that embodied everything that she was.

A lively, spirited girl who brought a smile to the faces of the people around her.

A self-admitted tomboy who still managed to maintain a decidedly feminine appearance contrary to what one would expect.

A beautiful, undeniably talented kunoichi with penchant for all things sharp and dangerous, and a fierce, undying loyalty to her friends and fellow ninja. Not to mention her unique skills and techniques that complemented his own, combined with their excellent teamwork that made them a perfect pair.

_Almost perfect. _

He grimaced slightly at the thought.

Although he didn't want to admit it, there was only one person whom she had ever truly shared a perfect partnership with, one that could only be accumulated over years and years of being together. A strange, special bond that existed only between them and them alone.

That person wasn't him.

The small frown on his handsome face became a smirk when it occurred to him how ironic it was that he had fallen in love with the same girl as the only person who had a higher ranking than himself in the academy; the very same one he'd lost to during the Chuunin exam finals three years ago...

But, like it or not, this was one fight he wasn't going to lose.

Kazuya stood up and started to dust off his clothes.

"I'd better go or Nee-san will be after my blood."

She laughed, a sound he found particularly pleasant, maybe even musical.

"Say hi to Ayame-san and Kousuke-kun for me."

"Aa," he replied, shouldering his training pack before heading home.

As he was walking towards the gate in the chain link fence that surrounded the training area, Kazuya couldn't help but think how glad he was that Tenten hadn't regained her memories of _him_.

It may have been, no, it was selfish of him to even think that, but as long she was happier this way...

_Is she? _

The sudden question made him stop for a moment, but he merely pushed it to the back of his mind as he continued on his way.

Besides, it wasn't as if he would be able to answer it.

He wasn't even sure if she would know the answer herself.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hi, I'm back again. Not really much to say at the moment since I said most of it in the beginning. **

**I hope it wasn't too bad. Some of you must be pretty annoyed that I haven't updated in a very very long time and I'm really really really sorry about that. Please don't kill me or something. **


	7. Gift

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue. **

* * *

The first thing he heard when he stepped through the doorway was an annoyed voice saying.

"You're late."

Kazuya tried to look apologetic when he saw the red haired and equally fiery tempered young woman who was sitting on the sofa with an already opened envelope on her lap and an unreadable expression on her face.

"Gomen, Ayame-nee-san."

She opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps and the arrival of small boy with the same head of dark blonde hair as Kazuya.

"Kazu-nii, I thought you wouldn't be back till six?"

"Something came up, Kosuke," Kazuya replied, giving his brother small smile. The boy immediately plopped himself onto the nearest sofa, his blue eyes alight with curiosity.

"Mom told me to give you this. She said you're supposed to go," Ayame continued, handing Kazuya the envelope. It was made of stiff, gold rimmed paper.

This was obviously no ordinary letter.

Kazuya flipped open the envelope's flap before gently pulling out the sheet of thick, heavy paper enclosed within. He turned over the slip of wax paper that was the first page and read the first line of the fine, flowing script on the card behind it.

_'You are cordially invited to...'_

"Why is Nii-san the only one who has to go?" Kosuke questioned. "Shouldn't Nee-san be going too?"

"As the heir, it's Kazuya's duty to attend such events in order to familiarize himself with our clan's business partners and strengthen our ties with them."

Kousuke rolled his eyes.

"You're just being lazy, Nee-san."

His sister shot him a look.

"Don't you have an exam to study for?"

The boy got off his seat and gave his sister a mocking salute before disappearing back into his room.

"Is there anything else?" Kazuya asked quietly, calmly slipping the invitation back into its proper place. When Ayame shook her head, he left the living room and walked to his room at the end of the hallway.

The young woman could only sigh as she stood up and walked out to the corridor in time to catch her little brother opening his bedroom door.

"Are you really okay with this?"

He wasn't. She could tell by the way he stood and by the way he forced himself to smile placidly as if nothing were amiss when their dark grey eyes would meet. But her gaze was concerned and his, expressionless.

"Yeah."

The door eased shut with a barely audible click.

With one hand still gripping the doorknob, Kazuya glanced at the now creased envelope in the other.

_Even if I wasn't, I can't change what's already been decided. _

* * *

The guards immediately stood at attention when they saw him approaching, the little day light there was left reflecting dully off their matching armour. They bowed respectfully when he passed, straightening only when he gave them a small nod.

With barely a pause, he reached into the pouch on his waist for his visa and gave it to the nearest guard without a second glance; a formality since every guard knew exactly who he was and every inhabitant of the small city was more than familiar with the symbol strapped across his forehead, but protocol was meant to be followed.

"Err...Hyuuga-sama." The man hesitated a moment before showing the Hyuuga what he had given him. It was a ridiculous looking, badly drawn picture of Lee and Gai's faces with the large words 'COME HOME EARLY!' scribbled in a giant speech bubble that took up the other half of the paper.

Neji sighed as he retrieved the right document and handed it to the guard before glancing at the darkening horizon, suddenly conscious of the weight on his back.

The last two weeks of his life had been hell on earth.

He had been constantly irritated by the scores of catalogues and stacks of order forms for various items that had been mysteriously appearing in his room every night, without fail for the last fortnight.

'The Hyuuga prodigy knew what, or rather who, was the cause. As satisfying as beating the culprits into a bloody pulp would have been, he knew that Tenten did not need or want to spend her birthday in a hospital ward taking care of those imbeciles. In the end, he had to settle for venting his irritation by unceremoniously dumping the entire lot in the store room for use as firewood during winter.

His ordeal was made even worse when he told Lee that he was going to Lava for a diplomatic mission today. The idiot had promptly wailed and cried buckets about him losing his 'youthful care' for their female teammate and had only shut up when Neji had agreed to go gift shopping with him. Although the only time he had displayed any interest throughout their little trip was when they were in leaving, it didn't stop Lee from shoving every object he managed to get his hands on into Neji's face and announcing to the rest of the world what a 'wonderful present it would make for Tenten'.

Neji actually cringed at the thought. He would rather fight a thousand Sound nins than experience that again.

At least he would have died sane.

Ignoring the sniggers coming from the man's fellow guards, Neji took back his travel documents and started to leave when the guard from earlier stopped him.

"Hyuuga-sama, what do I-"

"Dispose of it," he answered and the annoyance laced in his tone instantly shut the other soldiers up.

"Y-Yes, sir-"

Without waiting to hear the man's reply, Neji swiftly leapt into the trees leading to the forest, the fastest route back to Konoha.

If he hurried, he just might make it back in time.

* * *

It was almost midnight by the time Tenten got home.

Each year when their birthdays came around, Gai-sensei would treat the entire team to a meal at the celebrant's favourite restaurant, a tradition that had yet to be broken since their days as a team began.

After dinner, Gai had rushed off for a Jounin meeting, but Lee, always the gentleman, had offered to walk her home. It had started drizzling when they were about halfway there and neither of them had an umbrella, so Lee's exuberantly chatter about his latest mission had been cut short as they made a run for it through the rain.

Needless to say, both of them were completely soaked.

"Lee, I think you'd better come inside to-" she stopped when she saw the long, thin parcel leaning against the door to her apartment.

Puzzled, she picked it up and examined it. The barely crinkled brown paper it was wrapped in was dotted with tiny, damp flecks of darker colour and stained that same shade where her wet hands touched it.

Tenten opened her door, bringing the package inside with her. Lee followed her in, hovering over her shoulder expectantly as she unwrapped it.

Beneath the layers of paper was a finely lacquered wooden box which she opened with a growing sense of anticipation.

Nestled in the black velvet lining the box's interior was a magnificent katana.

She lifted the sword out of its case and unsheathed it. The pale steel of the gently curved blade glinted in the dim fluorescent lighting, its flawless surface so finely polished that it was almost white, contrasting beautifully with the dark grey hilt and matching sheath. The design was simple, not too elaborate. Just the way she liked it.

When she studied it more carefully, she realized that the length, the thickness, the weight, even the colour of the hilt and dyed linen wrapped around it were all perfectly calculated and made according to her measurements and personal tastes.

As if it was made just for her.

At the bottom of the box was a small card with her name neatly printed on it and the words 'Happy Birthday'. Tenten checked the box to see if she had missed anything, but she there wasn't anything on the card or any other note saying who the present had come from.

Lee and her sensei obviously had no hand in this. A katana of this high quality would cost more than what the average shinobi earned in a year. Tenten didn't know anyone well enough that could afford to give her something this costly.

She wished she knew who it was so she could thank him for the precious gift.

"Who could it be from?" she wondered aloud, not seeing the merriment that was threatening to show itself on Lee's face as he took two towels out of a closet and handed her one.

He didn't know exactly who it was, but he had an inkling of who the 'mysterious present giver' might be.

Originally, Lee had been severely disappointed in his eternal rival's lack of youthful enthusiasm in celebrating the anniversary of the birth of their favourite female teammate. Apart from inquiring briefly about whether or not he and Gai-sensei would be taking her out for dinner like they usually did on her birthday, his other teammate hadn't made any other indication that he had even remembered that Tenten's brithday was coming. He hadn't even bought her anything when they went gift shopping.

But, looking at the way things had turned out, he needn't have worried.

Especially about the last part.

Lee turned around quickly to hide his tears of joy.

_Gai-sensei! Our efforts have finally paid off! _

His grin resurfaced when he saw Tenten drying off the handle of her new katana and the surprise and happiness that brightened her chocolate eyes, something he hadn't seen for a long time.

Since Neji couldn't say it, he decided to say it for both of them.

"Happy birthday, Tenten."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**This is a pretty short chapter, just a little something to wrap up this part of the story and to kick start the next arc. Big thank yous to Midnight Memories for beta-reading this and to all the people who have reviewed/favourited this story so far. :)**

**My exams will be starting some time in October (3rd I think) so I'll have to take a break from writing to start cramming. I'm usually pretty cool with exams, since I'm perfectly okay with the subjects I know I suck in sucking and the ones I'm good in being good, but for some reason, my brain has been on vacation for the last nine months and it only came back when my teacher told us the exams were coming. T-T**

**Anyway, I will plan my chapters out when I get sick of trig and the Merchant of Venice (something which will happen very often/soon) and hopefully, I'll be able to get it out before the end of October. **

**Before I forget, I just wanted to address a teeny issue. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing, but there'll be a few more OCs appearing/coming back in the next chapter as well as the ones following it. I know some of you may feel like killing me for not including most the original characters from the actual series, but none of them really fit the bill for any of the characters I wanted for this story. There's a chance I'll include one or two of the Rookie nine in the later chapter(s), but it's not really confirmed. **

**Please tell me if it gets too confusing so I can clarify/add stuff into the story that will help. **

**That's all folks. **


	8. Venture

****

Chapter 7:

**Disclaimer: Unless Kishi-sensei decides to give it to me for as a congratulatory present for surviving my exams, I won't own it.**

* * *

"Welcome home, Neji-nii-san."

The dripping shinobi saw his younger cousin standing beside the doorway. Apparently she had been waiting for his return. She shyly presented him the thick white towel that had been previously bundled in her arms and he accepted it gratefully.

"Arigato, Hinata-sama."

He was halfway through drying his long hair when he heard her say something.

"A-Ano..."

He paused and looked up, waiting patiently for her to continue. Hinata fumbled with her words for a minute or two before she finally blurted out what she needed to say.

"C-Chichiue wants to see you. He's w-waiting for you in his study."

Neji gave her a brief nod of thanks and handed her the towel before making his way towards the aforementioned place. He expertly navigated his way through the maze of corridors and gardens that made up the Hyuuga estate, stopping in front of the sole shoji screen that was illuminated out of all the others behind him.

"Hiashi-sama," he said, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't wake the rest of the light sleeping household.

When he heard his uncle's customary "Aa", Neji slid the door open and entered the room. His uncle did not look up when Neji came in, nor did he pause in his writing as he spoke.

"I heard from Hokage-sama about your excellent performance on your recent missions," Hiashi said. His left hand motioned to a finely decorated envelope that seemed out of place amongst the rest of the plain, formal looking documents on his desk.

Neji strode forward to take the envelope and read the name inscribed on the front.

"Hiashi-sama-"

"Neji," Hiashi silenced his nephew, placing his pen on the table as he began to address the latter's obvious concern. "I'm sure you don't need me to tell you what this means, but you must tread carefully. Many of the elders are still bound to tradition. The only way they will accept you is if you can prove yourself worthy and this would be the best way for you to begin. Do you understand?"

Neji nodded. "Is that all, Hiashi-sama?"

"Yes. Go get some rest."

Neji was nearly out the door when his uncle's following words made him stop in his tracks.

"How is your teammate doing? The last I heard of her was before winter."

Neji was taken aback by the sudden question. His uncle never inquired about anyone's personal issues, let alone his.

"She is well," came the dutiful reply before he bid his uncle 'good night' and left.

Hiashi watched his nephew's silhouette fade into the darkness before returning to his perusal of the detailed reports of his nephew's latest exploits as well as his mission records from the last few years.

_Hizashi, I'm sure you would be proud... _

If all went according to plan, he would be able to successfully instate Neji as the next clan leader. Hinata had refused the position that was her birthright and Hanabi had similarly declined, not because she didn't want it, but because her cousin was most suitable for the role.

He, the Hokage, and even his ten-year-old daughter could see it, but the clan's elders were blinded by their mindless devotion to tradition. Traditions that had lead to the loss of his brother, traditions that had caused his nephew as well as many others so much pain.

Traditions that were long overdue for change.

_Neji will make them see, _Hiashi thought, glancing down at a certain order slip for a custom-made katana that had _accidentally _made its way from of his nephew's drawer to his desk. He was no stranger to the boy's stubborn refusal to admit his feelings and even more indirect methods of making them known. After all, he had seen the exact same behaviour in another person at least once in his lifetime.

The ghost of a faint, enigmatic smile drifted across the Hyuuga patriarch's face.

_Like father like son..._

* * *

In spite of the mountain of work piled up behind her and the presence of her assistant, which meant that she couldn't drink anything apart from tea and water, Tsunade was in a good mood.

From their usual position behind her, a slightly exasperated Shizune and a bewildered Ton-ton watched the Godaime as she studied a tiny book intently. Needless to say, the book's contents had absolutely nothing to do with her actual work.

A knock on the door interrupted her mental calculations and one of the people she had been waiting for all morning came in.

"You wanted to see me, Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade hurriedly snatched the book off her desk and stuffed it unceremoniously into a drawer before straightening up quickly. Tenten blinked and Shizune gave her a sheepish smile.

"Happy belated birthday, Tenten-san."

"Arigato, Shizune-san."

"Ahem," Tsunade coughed, immediately drawing the other two's attention to herself. Then she selected a scroll and smilingly held it out.

Tenten hesitantly took the proffered scroll and unraveled it. The information contained within was nothing out of the ordinary, but the more she read it, the more she felt that something was amiss. The Hokage never handed out missions personally unless they were important and a B-rank mission of guarding your average merchant was far from it. She opened her mouth to voice these thoughts when there was the sound of two sets of approaching footsteps and a sharp rap on the door.

"Come in," Tsunade called out. The other two whom she wanted to see entered her office and she waved off their greetings before beginning her briefing.

"Tenten, this is technically your first solo mission, but I've decided that since Hyuuga and Fuuma will be attending the event as guests, they will be your un-official back-up. If they are agreeable to the idea."

The Hokage's eyes narrowed slightly and her gaze shifted to the two shinobi as though daring them to disagree.

"I don't mind," Kazuya shrugged while Neji 'hn'-ed his response.

Tsunade's smile widened.

"Good. The three of you are to leave for Bird Country tomorrow morning," Tsunade concluded, proceeding to usher the three somewhat nonplussed ninja out of her office.

Ton-ton gave a tiny 'buhi' of distress at the wildly determined look in his mistress' eyes as she strode back to her desk, whipped out her little book and sat down.

Since there wasn't exactly anything else better to do, the Hokage had decided to indulge in a little wager with Hiashi-dono about the result of a certain relationship. Oddly enough, it had been the Hyuuga clan leader who had suggested it when he came to request his nephew's records the day before.

Tsunade knew the Hyuuga was more than aware of just how big of a stubborn prick his nephew was, but as it seemed, the man had great faith that his nephew at least wasn't asexual.

"Shizune!"

"H-Hai," Shizune replied uncertainly, almost fearful of what was coming next. Tsunade-sama had originally planned to conveniently forget to include the young Hyuuga prodigy in this mission briefing. It was only after her pleas for her shishou not to do something so dishonest and the latter's realization that it wouldn't affect the result of her bet anyway that she decided to call him in after all.

Shizune suspected that her Hokage's decision mostly had to do with said realization.

"Send a message to Hiashi-dono saying that I'm doubling the stakes," the Godaime announced.

"Hai!" Shizune ran out of the room to do exactly as her shishou ordered, knowing better from her years of experience than to try convincing Tsunade when she was this fired up. Especially when it came to gambling.

The door slammed shut and the Hokage's rouged lips arranged themselves into a grin.

Unless Neji and Kazuya decided to fall for _each other_, that hundred thousand ryou was hers for the taking.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama was acting pretty strangely," Tenten mused out loud as the three of them made their way past the guards and out of Hokage Tower.

The men on either side of her made no comment.

She placed a finger on her chin thoughtfully, remembering what she had wanted to ask before the Hokage practically chased them out of her office.

"What did Tsunade-sama mean by 'attending the same event'?" The sudden question caused her companions to look at her, Neji only briefly but Kazuya held her gaze.

"The daughter of a family friend is getting married," the latter explained placidly.

"Oh." The brunette kunoichi tilted her head slightly to look at the quiet pale-eyed boy on her right. "What about you, Neji?"

"The groom's family has been doing business with the Hyuuga clan for generations," he answered briefly, keeping his distinctly blank gaze directed straight ahead.

"If it's something this important, then shouldn't your parents and Hiashi-sama be going?" Tenten asked.

"It's my job as the clan heir," Kazuya replied smoothly.

Tenten's brow furrowed slightly in confusion as the information registered. "But Hinata-chan is Hiashi-sama's daughter. So..."

"Oi Hyuuga." Despite Neji's annoyance at his slightly condescending tone, he turned to face the blonde shinobi.

"Why are you going? You're not-"

"I will be attending on my clan leader's behalf," Neji stated, the light sheen of irritation in his voice as controlled as ever. The Fuuma clan's heir made a soft sound of derision, his lips curling into a smirk as he coolly returned the Hyuuga's steely glare. The female between them missed the silent exchange altogether.

"I have to inform Hiashi-sama of the change in plans," Neji told Tenten, his voice returning to its usual muted monotone.

"Okay. See you tomorrow," she said cheerfully.

"Aa." One hand seal and a puff of smoke later, he was gone.

Tenten consulted the mission scroll and sighed.

"This mission's probably going to take a while so I'd better get home and start packing-"

"Wait."

Tenten stopped and looked up curiously. Her brown gaze met his dark grey one. An unreadable look flickered through his eyes for half a moment before they quickly regained their resolve.

"I have a favour to ask you..."

* * *

It came as quite a surprise to Tenten when she saw her teammates already waiting for her when she arrived at the village gates. It wasn't that she was late; in fact she had left her apartment early.

In other words, Neji and Kazuya had both decided to be extremely early.

Despite the short time she'd known him, Tenten knew that punctuality was practically Neji's middle name, especially from the way he got all annoyed when anyone else was late. Well, as annoyed as Hyuuga Neji could get. However, although he was never late, Kazuya on the other hand was never_ this _early.

"We're leaving."

"Mm." Although she had acknowledged Neji's words, Tenten still lingered behind for a moment. The only part of her that followed them was her troubled brown gaze, watching her best friend's back as he went on ahead of her.

She didn't even realize when both her companions stopped and turned around.

"Is everything alright?" Kazuya's lilting tenor completely cut through her thoughts like a knife through butter, successfully rousing her from her inner musings. Two pairs of contrasting eyes stared at her, one concerned, the other emotionless.

_That's what I should be asking you!_ The words in her mind were just barely on the tip of her tongue, but she thought better of it when the odd quality to his voice finally made it past the worry that had momentarily morphed into irritation.

"Sorry." Tenten forced an expression that matched the impassive ones on Neji and Kazuya's faces before breaking off into a run to catch up with both of them.

_Stop worrying so much. Kazuya is smart enough to deal with his own problems_, her subconscious stating for her what they both knew.

But there was still that small silver of doubt.

_He wouldn't have asked you unless it was important..._

_Unless it was something he couldn't do on his own. _

Of course, she didn't doubt the sincerity behind the strange request he had made the day before. What was really worrying her was the way he had asked. His normally cheerful, light voice had been uncharacteristically hollow and somber, the way he sounded when a mission went awry.

Her paced slowed to a walk when she finally caught up with them. The blonde beside her grinned boyishly at her; the smile she returned was half-hearted.

The only thing she could do to help him was what he'd asked, and hope that it would be enough.

* * *

Having visited the Hyuuga complex quite a few times, Tenten was no stranger to absurdly large houses. However, apart from the odd tree, stone decoration or water fountain every now and then, the large courtyards were mostly empty since they were used for training. In fact, the entire estate was the embodiment of everything the clan valued - simplicity, practicality, tradition and excellence in the ninja arts.

On the other hand, the sheer amount of grandeur in _this _estate was bordering on the ridiculous, almost to the point that it could rival that of any daimyo's.

While she was marveling inwardly at the beautiful grounds as well as the obvious affluence of her client, Neji and Kazuya didn't show any notice of their surroundings as they silently followed the servant who had come to greet them when they arrived.

_They're probably used to it,_ her mind supplied helpfully.

The group stopped in front of a sliding door that looked completely identical to the others they had been walking past. The maid opened the door, politely inviting them to go inside.

"Please wait inside, Nakajima-sama will be with you shortly," she said softly, waiting for her master's guests to settle themselves on the cushions surrounding the low table before bowing and closing the door.

Since neither Neji nor Kazuya seemed very interested in conversing at the moment, Tenten took her time to observe the decor. Unlike the elaborate gardens, this room possessed an elegance in its simplicity; the only ornaments being an ikebana flower arrangement on a small shelf and the scroll painting hanging on the wall above it.

Tenten decided that she liked this much better.

A man in his late thirties or early forties entered the room then. There was nothing particularly special about his appearance. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height, unadorned yet impeccable robes- the standard appearance of any civilian.

It was only when he took his seat opposite Neji did she notice that his hair was flecked with grey, the harsh noon sunlight filtering in through the translucent screen doing nothing to conceal the lines of fatigue on his face.

"I apologize for the poor welcome. We hadn't been expecting you, Hyuuga-san, Fuuma-san," the man said, nodding in turn to the respective shinobi when he mentioned their names. "I am Nakajima Takahiro, the proprietor of this estate"

Once they were finished exchanging similar greetings and introductions, Neji got straight down to business and asked Nakajima to explain the situation.

His reply was immediate.

"You see, everything before you now isn't really mine." Nakajima waved his hand, gesturing vaguely at the entire room. "It belongs, or rather belonged, to my friend who died a few weeks ago and entrusted the care of his affairs to me."

A mild look of concern crept across his features. "However, when the doctors examined his body, they found that he had died of unnatural causes."

"Poison," the sole Jounin in the room said bluntly. It wasn't a question, but a stark statement. Nakajima nodded grimly.

"I don't understand," Tenten said, her murmur of confusion causing everyone to shift their attention to her. "If your friend was the one who was murdered, why do you need us to guard you?"

She regretted her question the minute it left her mouth, fully expecting Nakajima-san to be offended. On the contrary, the man she had thought to be her client gave a brief laugh of amusement.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Tenten-san," he answered lightly. "I'm not the one who requires your protection."

"Then-"

The young man standing in the doorway could not have made a timelier entrance. Regardless of the elaborate clothing, the erudite countenance behind his spectacles was unmistakable. Tenten's jaw dropped and even Neji's eyes widened imperceptibly.

"Soichiro-san?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I'm finally back (grins). This sort of filler-ish chapter to begin the new arc so I thought I'd try to inject some humor into it. Not sure if I was all that successful though. The only things I've written for the last couple of weeks are mathematical calculations and utter crap about the Merchant of Venice so my sense of humor as well as creative writing skills have been MIA for a long long time. ****It took even longer for me to regain my creative spirit so the lateness of this chapter is mostly my exam's and my fault. The only person you can really thank is ****my beta-reader, Midnight Memories, for beta-ing this so quickly- aka within hours of me sending it to her. :)**

**My exam results were okay, I guess. I failed the stuff I expected to fail (Chinese)and passed the stuff I expected to pass (Everything else) so I'm pretty much contented. The only thing I was quite annoyed with was that all the marks I lost in the Geog paper were from the MCQ questions. Because I stupidly shaded the wrong bubble. Meh.**

**Don't really have much to say at the moment so here's a quote from my chinese teacher. No, I wasn't actually paying attention to the lesson, and yes, I only understood it when my friend (who's chinese is better than mine, not that it takes a lot to be better than me)translated it into english for me.**

**Quote of the Day: **

**Life is like a vaccumn cleaner.**

**It sucks. **


	9. Chance

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all associated characters, jutsu and recognizable plotlines are the property of Masashi Kishimito-sensei. All original characters, jutsu and non-recognizable plotlines are the property of... well, me. **

* * *

"Soichiro-san?"

The young man in question was similarly shocked when he saw the bun-haired kunoichi and her white-eyed partner staring at him.

"You've met before?" Nakajima asked, intrigued. His question went ignored when Soichiro asked his own.

"Hyuuga-san, Tenten-san, what are you doing here?

"We were hired to guard someone," Neji answered, recovering quickly from his surprise. He had seen the name on the wedding invitation, but he certainly hadn't expected it to be the same person who had saved them and their mission back in Lava Country.

"You, I presume," the Hyuuga proceeded to elaborate when he noticed the utterly mystified look in Soichiro's eyes. If one could consider the addition of three words elaborating.

Soichiro hesitated, then his viridian eyes narrowed slightly.

"Nakajima-san, what is going on?" His voice was polite, but the tone was one of obvious irritation.

"They are here to protect you, Soichiro," Nakajima explained patiently. "Your father would never forgive me if I allowed anything to happened to you."

Soichiro could only let out a small sigh before he gave in. "Where's..." his voice trailed off when his memory failed to supply the name of the crazy green ninja. Was it Rock or Stone something...?

"Lee's back in Konoha," Tenten answered, apparently having regained her ability to speak. "Err...We heard about your father," she murmured.

"It's alright." Soichiro's tone had reverted back to its usual easy going calm. Then he shifted his attention to Kazuya. "I'm sorry for not addressing you earlier, I'm Fujimura Soichiro."

"Fuuma Kazuya," the blonde allowed, his smooth tenor unchanged as ever.

Soichiro nodded. "Nakajima-san, please continue from where you left off," he said, sitting down on a cushion next to his overprotective guardian.

Nakajima cleared his throat and did just that. "So, Tenten-san, to answer your earlier question, the one you'll be guarding is Soichiro, not myself-"

He was interrupted again by a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," Soichiro sighed, already looking bored with where the conversation was going.

The door slid open to reveal a lovely young girl of around fifteen years old dressed in a red kimono embroidered with white roses; the obi wrapped around her slim waist the exact same shade of ivory. Her long, dark hair was swept into a bun at the base of her slender neck and secured in place with a jeweled hair pin, removing any possible distractions from her fine features.

Behind her stood a man in unrelieved black; black hair, black eyes, black pants and black shirt. His aura was one of subtle earnestness combined with a focus exceptional for a non-ninja.

"Ano... The maids told me that Fujimura-sama had guests, so I thought that I should come and greet them," she said shyly. Soichiro smiled gently.

"Let me introduce you then. This is Fuuma Kazuya-san, Hyuuga Neji-san and Tenten-san," Soichiro told her, nodding at each respective person as he said their names before speaking to everyone else. "This is my fiancée, Sakurai Rin-san and my bodyguard as well as my god-brother, Hiroshi."

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Tenten-san, Hyuuga-san, Fuuma-san," she said, bowing politely while the man merely nodded.

Neji regarded the two newcomers with his standard detached interest. Kazuya briefly turned to Tenten with a meaningful glance.

_This must be the person he was telling me about,_ she thought, taking in the girl's graceful, well-mannered and submissive air as the she sat down on the sole unoccupied cushion beside her fiancé and directly opposite Kazuya.

"Rin, how have you been?" Kazuya asked with a warm smile that faltered slightly when the sole response of the girl in front of him was to lower her gaze and stare at the empty table.

"You know each other?" Soichiro asked curiously.

"Hai," Rin replied, fiddling with the edge of her obi self-consciously. "We were friends when we were children."

Any further questioning was interrupted by the arrival of a maid carrying a finely lacquered tray complete with an elaborate porcelain tea set.

"Please, let me." Rin got onto her knees to take the pot from the maid just as the latter was about to pour the tea. Her hands were shaking so badly that she almost dropped it. Soichiro placed a hand over hers, gently guiding her hand to place the tea pot on the table.

"It's alright, Sakurai-san," Soichiro spoke kindly, motioning for the maid to serve the tea. "You can leave such tasks to the servants."

"Hai," she complied meekly, returning to her seat. Kazuya merely watched Rin wordlessly for what seemed to Tenten like a very long time before finally speaking.

"You grew out your hair?"

Rin nodded, her turquoise gaze locked intently on her tea cup.

"It looks good on you," he grinned and Rin blushed at the compliment. Luckily her now pink cheeks went unnoticed by everyone other than Tenten, who decided to say something to distract the men before they did notice.

"Soichiro-san, can I ask you something?" Tenten waited for his affirmative answer before continuing. "Why were you in Lava when all this," she made a room-encompassing gesture, "belongs to you?"

Soichiro's reply consisted of two words and a half smile.

"It doesn't."

"My father has always been quite an interesting character." Soichiro's cultured voice was tinged with sardonic humour. "He has stated in his will that If I don't marry Sakurai-san, I will not be allowed to receive my inheritance."

"What? But-" Tenten started.

"Let's just say that I spent the last few years... pursuing my interests. Of course, my father didn't approve of me spending months away from home studying rocks instead of preparing to take over the family business. My guess is that this condition is to prevent me from taking off again once I've succeeded the role he originally intended for me."

Soichiro paused to take a sip of his tea.

"In the event that I don't marry Sakurai-san, everything goes to Hiroshi since he's my father's godson," he concluded casually.

If it hadn't been for the much more serious subject of their exchange, anyone listening would have thought that the young heir was doing nothing more than discussing the weather. Tenten found it extremely odd that Soichiro didn't even sound remotely concerned about something as important as his inheritance.

Conversely, his wife to be appeared quite uncomfortable as she looked down at her tea, the tiny hands holding her cup quivering a little. Whether it was due to the sensitivity of their current topic of conversation or something else, Tenten couldn't be sure.

"Ano... Fujimura-sama," Rin murmured softly.

"Yes?"

"Would it be alright for me to go into town to buy some things?" she asked.

"Of course," Soichiro answered smilingly. "Hiroshi, please escort Sakurai-san."

"Hai," in man in question said immediately. He had been so silent that Tenten had almost forgotten that he was in the room until Soichiro mentioned him.

"I'll come with you," Kazuya offered, but Rin shook her head.

"You don't have to trouble yourself Fuuma-san. Please continue your discussion without me."

Her kimono whispered as she got to her feet and made her way out the door with her bodyguard.

* * *

Guarding a civilian residence was any shinobi's nightmare. The castles of daimyo were teeming with trained guards and normally doubled as a fortress. The homes of those who could afford to pay for a ninja's services were usually designed purely for aesthetic appeal with absolutely no attention paid to security.

The estate Tenten was currently patrolling was no exception. In fact, it had taken the unwritten rule of "making your shinobi guard's life more difficult"' to a whole new level. Apart from its sheer size, each room had at least three or more doors that lead to a corridor overlooking a small portion of the over-sized garden. Meaning that once an intruder got in, he could get into any place he unnoticed to by simply hiding out in a bush.

That was only if he was unfortunate enough get in just as one of the few guards passed by.

Then again, since normal guards were more than enough to prevent petty thievery, the worst that could happen was that the owner would go bankrupt overnight. But if they had to hire shinobi to protect them, it obviously meant that a lot worse could happen, even if it didn't happen very often.

Tenten sighed. Fujimura Soichiro was obviously either extremely unlucky or really popular with assassins in general; most likely a combination of both. After all, who on earth could be targeted by two completely unrelated groups for two entirely different reasons, all in the same number of months?

The only person capable of such a feat was sleeping soundly in his chambers located at other end of his opulent home.

Tenten's brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to recall the route they had taken to get to the east wing of the house during the tour Soichiro had given them earlier. If memory served her correctly, she had to go straight past Neji and Kazuya's rooms and turn right.

She found her self glancing guiltily at the unlit shoji screens as she walked pass her teammate's rooms.

* * *

_"Tenten, you can't possibly be thinking of patrolling this place for the entire night. You'll be exhausted," Kazuya protested. _

_"Hn," Neji grunted, for once agreeing with Kazuya. _

_Tenten gave an exasperated groan. Couldn't they have picked a better time to start being all friendly with each other? Why couldn't they understand that she was trying to be more independent? She couldn't spend the rest of her career relying on her comrades for everything. _

_"Look. This is supposed to be a solo mission. _My_ solo mission," the brunette weapon mistress was slow and deliberate in her speech, stressing the 'my' part as she did so. "I'm supposed to be the one doing it and I'm the one getting paid so both of you should go and sleep. And if I find you two awake, I'm going to pin you to your beds with kunai," she finished before stalking out of the room._

* * *

It was an empty threat and all three of them knew it, but judging from the way the lights in both Neji and Kazuya's rooms were off, they had taken her warning to heart.

Now she was beginning to regret her stubbornness.

Pushing aside her self-pity and remorse for not accepting her teammates offers to help her, Tenten surveyed the finery around her, suddenly remembering the answer she had received when she'd asked Neji and Kazuya before their little argument began.

About whether arranged marriages were a common occurrence for people of their social standing.

"Most can't afford to marry for love," Kazuya had told her resignedly. Neji had simply nodded in silent agreement.

Tenten smiled sadly. It was strange how a person could have everything and yet be denied something as simple as marrying someone they truly loved.

_That reminds me, Rin-san's room should be- _

She froze when she realized that something was very wrong.

Tenten hurriedly broke off into a run, following the faint, unfamiliar chakra signature through the maze of corridors, not knowing where, what or who it would lead to.

She came to a stop when she got to the outside last door at the end of the corridor. Rin's room.

Tenten pulled the sliding door open as quickly as the wood would allow her to without it breaking and ran inside the bedroom. In the far end of the room, a shadowy figure was standing beside the bed, holding a short sword that glinted in the dim light of the corridor over the futon's blissfully unaware occupant.

_Oh God._

One, two, three seconds later, as if only he had only just noticed her presence, the figure turned slowly to face her. With the darkness shrouding his features, she was couldn't tell who it was, but the fact that he was holding a sword was enough.

The unknown assailant charged towards her. Tenten reacted instinctively, sliding a kunai out of her thigh holster to parry the heavy-handed blow.

Her opponent was clearly unskilled at the usage of a sword. How he managed to get so close to his target without alerting her had yet to be explained. But as long as this was a fight involving weapons, she wouldn't lose.

As if he was privy to her thoughts, her opponent suddenly decided to switch back to his original target. Tenten was fast, but not fast enough. By the time she reached the bed, the assassin was already delivering the killing blow.

In that split second before the blade reached its mark, Tenten did the one thing she thought she'd never have to do; at least not for this mission.

Even though she was mentally prepared, it did nothing to reduce the searing pain as the sword stabbed straight into her right shoulder. There was another smaller, stinging pain in her left wrist which had hit something on the bedside table when she'd thrown herself into the sword's path to prevent it from hitting Rin.

Tenten knew that she wouldn't die from something this trivial. She'd had worse in her seventeen years. But the pain was so intense that her voice caught in her throat and she couldn't scream to alert everyone else about the intruder.

She was utterly relieved when whatever it was that her hand had knocked into earlier hit the floor with a resounding crash.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**School's finally out! XD**

**I'll be going away on holiday to New Zealand on the twelfth of November. As usual, I'll be planning in my head and writing ideas down in my little plot notebook, but the bad news is that I probably won't be writing anything for real unless I manage to find a computer. T-T **

**My mom says that the place we're staying at has a com with internet connection, but the information is pretty dubious since you can never really trust anything she says when it has to do anything Windows related. And no, I don't mean the ones you look out of. ****My dad is bringing his laptop, but he'll be using it for his work quite often so if I'm really lucky and can ask him before my siblings do, I might get to borrow it. Of course, this plan depends on whether or not I even have internet. If not, I'll just have to do it when I get back. **

**Or if I'm extremely lucky, I'll get a sudden surge of inspiration and be able to finish this entire arc, or at least half of it before I leave so I can post all the chapters at once.**

**(Please note that the chance of the above scenario happening is quite low as I don't really feel extremely inspired at the moment. Unless I suddenly find some inspiring music or something that puts me in the mood that matches the one in the story. That usually helps a lot. So if anyone finds/knows anything good, tell me.)**

**This chapter was beta-read by Midnight Memories, queen of all things grammar, spelling and punctuation related. Big thank yous to both her and all the readers. Your comments and reviews are extremely encouraging. :)**

**TTFN.**

* * *


	10. Friends

**Author's Note: **

**I'm back. :) **

**I'm really really sorry that I couldn't update. My dad brought his laptop with him, but the house we rented didn't have internet access so I couldn't put up some kind of announcement or anything. **

**Second, it would be a good idea for you to re-read the previous chapters (again) unless you're quite familiar with the characters due to the number of OCs that will be playing a part in this and the following chapters that are a part of this arc. **

**Err... I'll just go away now.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, the series would be filled with more romance than actual fighting and it probably wouldn't be as popular since it's pretty obvious which one teenaged boys would rather watch. **

* * *

Contrary to what Tenten had believed, Neji was wide awake, meditating soundlessly in the calming darkness of his room, attempting to ease his apprehension.

His instincts never lied. Something was going to happen. Even Fuuma could feel it, whether he was conscious of it or not.

If it hadn't been for that, he wouldn't have been so insistent on her not patrolling on her own.

Against his better judgment, he had given in to her when she'd objected. Instead, he intended to simply stay awake until she gave in and returned to her room. That way, if anything happened, he would at least be able to do something about it.

Then, the peaceful quiet of the night air was broken by the sound of breaking glass.

Neji rushed out of his room the same time his neighbour burst out of his, dressed in the same navy blue slacks and shirt he had been wearing earlier. Apparently, Fuuma had thought of the same idea as he had.

"Did you-" Kazuya's question was punctuated by a shrill, feminine scream.

"Byakugan."

There was a moment of long tense silence before Neji deactivated his doujutsu and disappeared down the hallway, closely followed by the now irate blonde Chuunin.

A crowd of curious servants had gathered outside Sakurai-san's room, speaking to each other in low, conspiratorial whispers. Neji paid them no heed as he brushed past them and entered the bedroom the shortly before Kazuya did.

The light cast by the lone candle was dim and flickering, but the Hyuuga took in the sight of the his female teammate slumped against the bed and the blood spattered sheets with astounding clarity.

Dressed in their sleeping yukatas, Fujimura-san was instructing a servant to summon the doctor while Sakurai-san was kneeling on the floor beside Tenten, tending to her wounds with inexperienced, shaking hands. The floor around them was scattered with the shattered remains of an ornate vase.

Nakajima-san was standing over the room's final occupant, his lips set in a grim line. Neji's eyes narrowed further when he saw the long, bloodied knife strewn on the floor in front of the kneeling culprit, who was staring at his blood stained hands with pure shock and horror. He was ready to kill the bastard who was responsible for his teammate's wound, but Fuuma had gotten there first. He grabbed the man's collar, gripping a fist full of his shirt and roughly pulling him to his feet.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You're supposed to be guarding her, not trying to kill her!" he shouted at the bodyguard whose loyalties he was seriously beginning to doubt. Hiroshi did not respond, his expression merely one of pained acceptance.

"K-Kazuya, stop. It's not Hiroshi-san's fault," Tenten's voice was soft and weak; Neji quickly strode to her side and bent down, taking the cloth from Rin. "There was a strange chakra presence just now." She winced when Neji's strong hands pressed hard against her wound to stem the blood flow. "He could have been controlled."

Kazuya let Hiroshi go and stared at the injured girl. The Hyuuga prodigy sent his partner a long, measured look before activating his bloodline limit. He scanned the entire room with his byakugan again, but he didn't find anything out of the ordinary.

"Fujimura-san, is Hiroshi-san a shinobi?" Neji questioned.

Soichiro shook his head. "I've known him since we were children. He couldn't possibly-"

"He has a motive doesn't he?" Kazuya cut Soichiro off with a stormy expression in his dark grey eyes as he glared at the latter's supposed god-brother.

Everyone fell silent at_ that_.

"But if Tenten-san is right," Nakajima spoke for the first time since they Neji and Kazuya had arrived. "Then who was the one controlling him?"

Neji scooped the wounded kunoichi into his arms, careful to avoid her injured shoulder as he did so. Tenten dug her fingers into the fabric of his shirt as a spasm of pain shot down her arm and back from the sudden movement.

"Fujimura-san, Nakajima-san, please provide me with a list of and all the servants and guards along with information about their backgrounds." Despite his polite tone, what he had asked was more of a command than a request.

"I will see to it the first thing tomorrow morning," Nakajima agreed before he began instructing the maids to start preparing another room for Rin as well as assigning her extra guards.

Tenten could feel the heat from Neji's chest radiating through his robes. In spite of the overwhelming pain and dizziness from the blood loss that was slowing dragging her into unconsciousness, she felt so warm and safe there, cradled in his arms.

"That was foolish of you," she heard him say as they were walking away. She knew that he was chastising her for refusing his and Kazuya's help earlier, as well as for risking her life so selflessly. His curt statement gave no room for dispute, especially since he was right; and at the moment, she simply didn't have the energy to argue with him.

"I know," she murmured, managing a tiny wry smile before the darkness overtook her senses.

Now that the drama was over, the small crowd outside the room had begun to disperse. Apart from those involved in their mistress' relocation, the servants were heading back to their quarters while the guards were returning to their posts. Accompanied by two guards each, Nakajima lead Hiroshi away while Soichiro returned to his room.

Eventually, the only ones left behind were Rin and Kazuya.

"Will Tenten-san be alright?" Rin asked worriedly.

"She'll be fine," Kazuya reassured her gruffly. However, when he noticed her fear at the angry bite that had yet to fade from his tone, he forced himself to calm down.

"What about you? Will you be okay?"

"Hai." The uncertainty in her voice and her small, trembling frame revealed the lie.

"Sakurai-sama, your new room has been prepared," the maid who had just arrived informed her politely. Rin thanked her and gave a Kazuya graceful bow.

"Good night, Fuuma-san," she said quietly before following the servant down the darkened hallway.

* * *

Tenten had woken up to find herself lying in her bed and feeling much less pain than she'd originally imagined, with one irate Hyuuga Neji sitting at the low table by her bedside. Once she was fully awake, he wasted no time in informing her of her current condition as well as the doctor's orders for her not to exert herself.

Of course, he hadn't literally pinned her to her bed with kunai, but the glare he'd given her when she'd objected to staying in bed for the rest of the mission had pretty much the same effect.

Tenten had long since finished venting her annoyance at the cruel irony fate had dealt her with and her overly paranoid teammate. Also, since said paranoid teammate was from the fate adoring Hyuuga clan, he'd probably have agreed with her on the first point. But at least she would be spending the rest of her time here in relative, scratch that, exceptional comfort.

But she was bored out of her wits.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _

"Ano... Tenten-san," Rin called out softly, "may I come in?"

"Sure." Tenten's expression brightened instantly as the door slid open. Maybe fate wasn't that cruel after all.

Her hair was done exactly the same way it had been yesterday, but her kimono was made of black silk with bronze butterflies dancing across the fabric and a matching, rust hued obi. The dark coloration of her clothing brought out the paleness of her smooth skin that still retained a healthy glow, like backlit alabaster. Her hands were holding a tray laden with a small pot of tea, two cups and a small plate with a variety of traditional Japanese sweets arranged neatly on top.

"I made these yesterday," she explained, carefully setting the tray down on the table. "You can try some if you'd like."

Tenten selected a sweet from the proffered plate and bit into it.

"Wow, this is really good." Tenten popped the remaining half into her mouth and Rin's cheeks coloured immediately, both embarrassed and pleased at the compliment.

_She's just like Hinata-chan, _Tenten observed with a smile, already feeling the same sisterly affection she held for the Hyuuga heiress for the young wisp of a girl in front of her.

"How are your injuries?" Rin asked delicately as she poured the tea.

"Not too bad," Tenten replied truthfully.

"Thank you very much for saving me yesterday," the other girl said with a tiny bow.

"I should be thanking you for keeping me company. I was bored to tears," Tenten replied with a teasing grin that was able to draw a serene smile out of Rin.

"Why did you make these?" Tenten then enquired curiously, taking another one of the delicious sweets. She was no good in the kitchen, but she could tell that the amount of effort Rin had taken to make them so fine and detailed must have been monumental.

"I made them for Ka- Fuuma-san," Rin answered, almost knocking over her cup when she realized she had almost called him by his first name and immediately correcting herself.

"But Kazuya never eats sweet things," Tenten blurted out in confusion. She regretted her words when Rin froze and the expression on her face became completely crestfallen.

"He really has changed a lot, hasn't he," she whispered softly, sadly.

"Well, I really wouldn't know about that," Tenten said quickly, trying to salvage the situation. "I've never really been all that close to him until recently."

Rin looked up, eyes wide with shock. "You mean you're not..."

"We're just friends," Tenten assured the other girl and hopefully dispelling anymore potential doubts about her and Kazuya's relationship.

"Oh. I see," Rin murmured, sounding a lot more cheerful than she had been earlier.

_Thank goodness_, Tenten sighed inwardly in her relief as she accepted her tea cup from which a thin spiral of heat curled invitingly.

"Then what about Hyuuga-san?"

The weapon mistress almost choked on her tea.

"What?"

"What is Hyuuga-san to you?" Rin asked again, totally unaware of the dilemma the kunoichi was experiencing due to her innocent question.

What _was_ Neji to her?

A teammate, a superior, a comrade, a fellow Konoha nin, all that was stating the obvious. Their relationship had to be something more than _that. _She'd known him long enough for him not to be regarded as a mere acquaintance, yet she certainly didn't know enough _about_ him to consider him a friend-

"He's the biggest jerk I've ever met," Tenten finally concluded, her earlier irritation at the aforementioned Hyuuga was returning with a vengeance for the headache he was causing her now.

Turquoise eyes blinked.

"He trains at unholy hours and expects me to do the same. Not to mention the fact that he's so socially inept that he could go for weeks without saying a single word, and when he does say anything, all he says is one word, 'hn'. And it's because he's so over protective and paranoid that I'm stuck here." She finished off her list of complaints with a deep, calming breath.

"But I suppose he isn't so bad all the time," Tenten admitted grudgingly. "I mean, he _is _a good teammate and he's quite dependable during missions and... stuff."

"I-I see," Rin said hesitantly before changing the subject. "Is being a ninja fun?"

"It's... interesting, I guess," Tenten replied, pausing in between to find the right adjective. Her career had definitely been _very _interesting, thanks to a particular pair of green spandex-wearing ninja.

"Do you want to hear about my teammates back in Konoha?"

Rin nodded eagerly and Tenten launched into an epic about one of Lee and Gai's comically disastrous escapades, much to the amusement of her new friend.

* * *

Unbeknownst to both Rin and Tenten, a certain blonde was standing just outside the room, leaning casually against the wall. He had originally come to to see how his teammate was doing, but had decided against it when he heard muffled voices speaking inside.

He couldn't hear the exact words, but he could easily recognize who it was inside the room...

* * *

_"Wait." _

_Brown eyes looked up curiously at him, waiting for him to continue. _

_"I have a favour to ask you. It's about a f-friend." His voice nearly failed him on the last word. "She's the one that's getting married next week. But if I know her parents, they're probably not going to be there until the day before the wedding so I was wondering if you could err... you know..."_

_Tenten's eyes lit up with understanding and she gave him a dazzling smile._

_"Sure." _

_"Thank you," he said, wondering if she could tell how much he meant it._

* * *

Suddenly, Kazuya heard laughter coming from the room behind him. He could distinctly make out the separate voices, yet they somehow sounded musically harmonious together. Like a pair of wind chimes played by a gentle summer breeze.

He smiled silently to himself before walking away.

* * *

The investigation had been going on for what was soon to become two days, but it had turned up nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

To say that Hyuuga Neji was in a dangerous mood would not be an understatement. And the fact that Fuuma was late was _not_ helping.

From the beginning, Neji had never been exactly very keen on working with the infuriating blonde, but at least _he_ could interrogate the servants and manage to get a few comprehensible sentence out of them. The only thing the unusually agitated Hyuuga succeeded in was mentally scarring several guards for life, and reducing a number of maid to tears with his glare, as his new partner never failed to remind him.

The Hyuuga genius suspected that his partner was trying to irritate him on purpose. If he was, then it was certainly working.

Not willing to allow his rival any more success in his childish game, Neji returned to his attention to the stack of résumés and other miscellaneous documents. He had read them so many times that he had practically memorized all the background information on every single servant in the manor.

Now he was getting the feeling that they were missing something.

Someone.

"Byakugan," he intoned, chakra enhanced eyes scanning the estate until he found who he was looking for.

Fujimura Soichiro was in safe in his chambers located in the west wing of the house, but the two guards that were supposed to be standing outside his door were absent. Then he spotted Nakajima heading towards Fujimura's room, carrying a bottle and two tiny glasses.

Within his monochromatic view of the world, Neji was shocked to find a hint of colour other than the subtle, swirling blue of chakra present in every living being. Out of the two that Nakajima was holding, one of the cups had a purplish tinge that he recognized instantly.

At that precise moment, Kazuya strolled into the room.

"Oi Hyuuga, what are we-" He cut himself off when he saw Neji with his bloodline limit activated and heard the latter's sudden intake of breath.

"I'll explain on the way," the Hyuuga said, his tone clipped and urgent. He pushed past the dumbfounded blond and ran out of his room. Kauzya joined him in a matter of seconds.

Out of the dozens of questions racing through Neji's mind, one was clearer than all the rest.

Would he make it in time?

He'd find out soon enough.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**It's me again and I know you're probably annoyed with hearing me by now, but I'll make this quick. **

**Just to clear up any possible confusion, the whole purple thing came from one of the anime filler arcs. So anyone who only reads the manga, hasn't gotten that far in the anime or watched that arc and just forgot probably won't know what I'm talking about but not to worry, all will be revealed in the next chapter.**

**This chapter was beta-read by Midnight Memories. Congrats to her on finishing NaNoWriMo *gives cookies***

**Until next time.**


	11. Complications: Part I

**Disclaimer: My request to have my name changed is currently being processed. Until then, I won't own it.**

**Dedication: For everyone who still reads these things I write. **

**Wishing all a (belated) Merry Christmas XD**

**

* * *

**

Nakajima headed silently down the hallway, his stride confident and unhurried as he approached the one room he had yet to go inside of. His friend had been most mistrusting, but he couldn't say the same for his son.

What had once been a simple and straightforward plan was now becoming increasingly convoluted with every step since the arrival of the three Konoha ninja. The kunoichi, especially, was proving to be a bigger nuisance than a help. The only role he had intended for her to play was the witness of his unwitting accomplice's attempted assassination. He hadn't expected her to be skilled enough to sense his chakra presence and he certainly hadn't included the appearance of two extra shinobi in the equation.

However, that was all but irrelevant to the overall scheme.

He had succeeded in getting rid of his ward's loyal bodyguard while Soichiro himself had kindly assigned his own guards to protect his fiancée. The kunoichi was too badly injured to do anything, and he had managed to turn her words into sufficient distractions for her teammates without anyone suspecting a thing.

Even if anyone did realize anything now, it would already be too late.

__

Fools.

"Nakajima-san, is there something the matter?" Soichiro questioned cautiously, eyes narrowing slightly when he saw his guardian enter his study without his permission.

Nakajima's long sleeves whispered against the wood as he set a bottle of sake and two cups on the desk between them and sat down, his movements slow and deliberate.

"You've been working so hard since you came home; I thought I'd come and have a drink with you." His voice was smooth, pleasant even; enough to rid his temporary ward of his short-lived suspicions.

The boy may not have been stupid, but he clearly lacked the judgment and awareness of the realities of life that his father possessed. And it was this naiveté that was going to bring about his unfortunate... _expiry_.

"The wedding is less than three days," Nakajima commented casually, pouring the warm wine into each cup and handing one to his charge, keeping the other for himself. "You should be relaxing and getting ready instead of doing all this work."

"I'm trying to finish what my father left behind," Soichiro replied offhandedly, his eyes never leaving the paper in front of him as he took the warm sake cup.

"I'm sure your father would be proud," Nakajima said kindly, hiding his triumphant smirk behind the rim of his cup when Soichiro smiled at him and raised his own to his lips.

* * *

"You mean it was Nakajima all along?"

The question was asked out of pure curiosity, but Neji felt somehow slighted by the incredulous inflection in the blonde's tone.

"Aa."

"But what would he gain from killing Fujimura-san?" Kazuya continued, speaking out loud what both of them were thinking.

"I don't know," Neji replied truthfully, channelling even more chakra into his legs to increase his speed.

Tenten had actually been assigned the mission, and Fuuma's odd behaviour and obvious personal relationship with their client's fiancée hinted at a much deeper level of involvement in the entire affair. On the other hand, Neji technically had no personal attachment to the man he was supposed to be protecting apart from the fact that his clan leader would be extremely annoyed, to say the least, if he failed.

However, Fujimura Soichiro had saved his and his teammates' lives back in Lava Country and Neji fully intended to return the favour.

His gaze zeroed in on the door. It was locked.

"Fuuma," he began, but the blonde was already one step ahead of him, palming a shuriken from the pouch on his waist with one hand and forming a hand seal with the other.

The two of them came to a halt outside Fujimura's office. Neji dealt their obstruction a quick, chakra laced palm thrust and they burst into the room with a crash of what had once been the door against the wooden floor. The sound of breaking china followed a second later as Kazuya's shuriken found its mark, shattering it into so many pieces of porcelain and causing the contents to splash onto the holder's lap before swerving in a neat arc and returning to its smirking owner's hand.

"Hyuuga-san, what is going on?"

Neji's multi-directional vision flickered briefly towards the affronted, sopping Soichiro, but he kept his hard, colourless eyes trained on the still calmly seated Nakajima.

"The wine was poisoned," he answered.

Nakajima's face stayed perfectly straight, revealing nothing.

Soichiro turned his shocked stare on his father's so-called best friend just in time to see the latter vanish into thin air.

"The roof," Neji stated curtly. Both of them turned towards the ruined doorway.

"Sorry about the door," Kazuya called over his shoulder, sounding more amused than apologetic.

Too stunned to do anything else, Soichiro could only watch dumbly as the two shinobi leapt out of sight.

* * *

Neji appeared on the roof, blocking the path of the man in front of him. Nakajima immediately changed direction and headed for the opposite building, only to jump back to his original position to dodge the fuuma shuriken coming his way.

Kazuya landed neatly on the other end of the roof, snatching his shuriken out of the air as it flew past him, trapping Nakajima between himself and Neji.

No one moved for an entire minute; Neji took the opportunity to study his opponent.

Nakajima's overall skill was passable; the only thing the Hyuuga prodigy was slightly impressed with was his chakra control. To be able to suppress his chakra so well as to have fooled even him was not something easily accomplished, but neither was it something that hadn't happened before. He clearly had good knowledge about poisons and their usage, and his movements were slightly faster and his emotions more controlled than those of your average shinobi, but Nakajima was not a offensive type of fighter. He was far too much of a coward to risk his life in actual battle. His methods and the fact that he had been trying to escape proved this.

But that didn't mean he couldn't fight back when pushed into a corner, like he was now.

"You're not going anywhere," Kazuya stated, crouching into a battle position.

Nakajima merely stood there, not assuming any stance whatsoever as he gave a dark laugh. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Fuuma-san."

He took a step forward and then disappeared, reappearing almost instantly in front of a stunned Kazuya. The Fuuma clan heir recovered quickly, readying his weapon to block any attack if it came, but nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

Dozens of chakra strings shot out of Nakajima's sleeves, wrapping themselves around him and forcing him to drop his shuriken. One sharp tug of the strings sent Kazuya flying into one of the garden's trees and the second succeeded in tying him to it.

Neji watched the scene impassively, blocking out the shouted curses from Fuuma that were directed at both Nakajima and himself for ignoring his so-called partner's plight as Nakajima turned to him.

"Hyuuga-san, I don't suppose you're going to just let me leave."

Neji's narrowed eyes and unblinking silver glare was an answer in itself as he slid into his stance.

"Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou!"

The uneven footing and slant of the roof they were standing on would make the execution of his technique more difficult and possibly slower, but it was still doable. Unfortunately, he had barely gotten in the first two strikes when he saw a brief flash of chakra in Nakajima's feet before the latter leapt out of his reach.

There was a loud clang as Neji's kunai met Nakajima's tanto.

"If you were going to fight me, shouldn't you have helped your teammate first?" Nakajima asked tauntingly, his gaze as cold and piercing as the steel blade of his short sword.

"He's a hindrance," Neji replied curtly.

Their weapons were still locked in place as they pushed against the other, neither allowing his strength to wane in the slightest. Neji decided that it was time to put an end to this stalemate.

The Hyuuga's other hand shot forward and his Byakugan caught sight of the chakra strings on Nakajima's fingers doing the same. His chakra laced palm froze barely inches from Nakajima's chest, held back by the thin metal wires that had secured themselves around his wrist and lower arm.

Neji tried forcing his hand to move, but it was a futile attempt. Plus, he knew from previous experiences with a certain weapon mistress' chakra strings that he wouldn't be able to break them.

Nakajima laziliy reached into Neji's thigh holster and helped himself to one of his kunai, much to the latter's displeasure. With a sneer turning the corners of his mouth upward, he raised his ill-gotten weapon.

A fuuma shuriken whizzed through the almost non-existent space between them, cutting the strings binding Neji's hand to Nakajima's and forcing both men to jump back as quickly as possible.

The shuriken swerved suddenly in mid-air and headed straight for Nakajima, who managed to avoid it at the price of having the kunai he'd stolen from Neji knocked out of his hand.

"Hindrance huh? You should be glad I bothered to save your sorry ass."

Neji didn't even spare the shinobi who had landed beside him so much as a glance.

"I didn't realize it would take you that long to get out of that pathetic trap," he returned coolly.

"Why don't you try getting a kunai out of _your_ holster and cutting _yourself_ free when _your_ hands are tied behind _your _back?" Kazuya retorted indignantly, but Neji didn't have time for his childish antics.

"Fuuma, behind-"

"I don't need you to tell me what to do," Kazuya snapped as he spun around, throwing two of his trademark fuuma shuriken that turned the attacking chakra strings behind him into so many bits of metal.

"Your flimsy strings aren't a match for my shuriken," he said, returning Nakajima's glare with a one of his own and a smirk as the two fuuma shuriken he had used earlier returned to his hand. "Why don't you just give up before I _accidentally _kill you?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Err... hi.**

**I think you might be a bit confused as to why Neji didn't just use some random Hyuuga technique to cut through the strings so I thought I'd clear some things up before you guys ask me to.**

**Neji's fight with the spider dude during the Sasuke Retrieval Arc had me going into a lot of theories since I didn't really understand the principles behind the whole chakra thing. I eventually came to the conclusion that Neji was able weaken the webs by absorbing the chakra inside.**

**Since that spider guy was sort of separated from his webs, it meant means that there was a limited amount of chakra in the webs themselves. So once all the chakra inside was absorbed, the webs could be broken easily.**

**On the other hand, chakra wires (the stuff Tenten attaches to her weapons during her Twin Rising Dragons) technically have an unlimited supply of chakra since the user is constantly manipulating them (eg. Kankuro's puppet jutsu). As a result, Neji can't absorb the chakra completely and hence is unable to cut through the metal because it's enforced with chakra while Kazuya's fuuma shuriken, which are also enforced with chakra, can.**

**I've probably bored you to death with the explanations, but unfortunately, they are necessary for understanding some of the stuff that's going to happen. XP**

**In other news, my usual beta reader Midnight Memories has her exams coming and I'd like to thank her for taking the time to check through this chapter as well as wish her the best of luck :) Unfortunately, this means that she'll be unable to beta read future chapters until further notice.**

**Luckily, my friend and fellow anime fan has kindly offered to beta read the chapters to come. I've sent chapter 11 to her now and hopefully, I'll be able to get it up by New Year's.**

**Bye bye.**


	12. Complications: Part II

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all other associated characters/justus/themes are the property of Kishimoto-sensei. There I said it. **

* * *

"It's going to rain tomorrow," Tenten murmured, staring at the sky through her bedroom window. It was a starless night; completely dark except for a small patch of lighter, paler grey where the moon was hiding behind the clouds.

Rin looked up, her sea-foam green eyes immediately shifting from the window to her companion.

"Really?"

Tenten smiled at the childish curiosity in the other girl's voice. "We were taught to read weather patterns from cloud formations back when we were in the Academy," she explained, her usage of the now familiar terms to them both delighted Rin.

"That's amazing," Rin sighed softly, her small white hands that were splayed out over the lemony yellow silk of her kimono. Tenten watched her with amusement as her fingers slowly began to move, mimicking the way they had plucked the strings on the shamisen she had been playing earlier.

Rin had offered to teach her how to play, but Tenten had been too afraid to even touch the elaborate rosewood and gold shamisen lest she broke it. She had only agreed after Rin's pleas for her to try, but despite their similarity to the chakra strings she was so fond of using, she had failed quite miserably as she had known she would.

Tenten looked down wistfully at her own hands, rough from the years of holding her weapons and marked with tiny, almost invisible scars that she couldn't recall where she had gotten. The only instruments she could play were those of death. There was no way those same hands could produce such delicate, beautiful music-

Then she sensed it. The same strange chakra presence she'd felt that night along with Neji's and Kazuya's.

Rin stopped what she was doing when she noticed her friend's odd, sudden silence and the dazed look in her eyes.

"Tenten-san? What's wrong?"

"They're fighting." The distinct sound of metal against metal that followed right on cue was an affirmation to her statement. Tenten's face was drawn and pale when she turned to look at Rin. The worry etched into every one of her features was soon mirrored on the latter's face.

"I have to help them."

The weapon mistress stumbled to her feet too quickly and vertigo overtook her immediately. Rin stood up abruptly and hurriedly over to her bedside.

"Tenten-san, your shoulder-"

"I'm going," she said. The determination shining through her chocolate eyes stopped Rin from trying to convince her to do otherwise. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in Neji and Kazuya's abilities as shinobi, but their less than friendly relationship could result in a lack of the teamwork that was necessary, if not vital for any mission.

Tenten looked at Rin with unspoken gratitude as the other girl wordlessly helped her up before both left the room as quickly as the former's injury and the latter's elaborate clothing would allow.

Even if she wouldn't be much of a help, she had to at least see if her assistance was needed. And judging from the strength of their opponent, those two were going to need all the help they could get.

* * *

True to his expectations, a crowd of servants had gathered in the surrounding buildings to peer out of any available opening to observe the fight. Most of them had given the battling shinobi a relatively wide berth, but a few of the bolder ones had actually come out to stand in the garden to watch.

Whether they were just stupid or didn't have what was usually referred to as 'self preservation skills', Neji didn't really know or care. Fighting an enemy who's unusual techniques seemed to be almost perfect for combating his family's Jyuken style was hard enough, not to mention the addition of a blond show-off for a partner and the odd terrain. Having morons in his way was not helping the already deteriorating situation, especially since Nakajima had proven quite early in their fight that he was not above attacking innocent bystanders to distract his opponents.

"Move!" Neji shouted, releasing a blast of chakra from his palm that reduced the boulder to dust and rubble. The offending servants quickly scurried away into the safety of the terraces, but Nakajima had managed to once again dodge his attack.

"Tch," he grunted in irritation as he continued his assault.

Nakajima was more skilful that he'd previously thought. He had been keeping him and Fuuma busy with his chakra strings and had forced them to momentarily halt their assault at least twice to save several maids, all while dodging both their attacks for the last few minutes. An eternity, considering the usual length of shinobi battles. However, his once decisive movements were beginning to slow and he was still outnumbered. It was only a matter of time before-

Out of the corner of his eye, Neji caught sight of two people who were, for a lack of a better word, idiotic enough to disobey his instructions. He hesitated for the barest second when he realized who it was.

"Neji! Kazuya!" came a familiar female voice as his palm finally connected with Nakajima's torso, only for said person to immediately transform into a log with a puff of white smoke.

* * *

Nakajima used the short reprieve his substitution jutsu had provided him to consider his options. He had grown accustomed to dealing with surprises. Just not this many in the same night.

If he had been aware of his opponent's thoughts, he would have whole heartedly agreed. The situation was clearly not progressing in his favour and Hyuuga and Fuuma currently possessed the upper hand, but that was going to change.

"You seem to be very good at running away," the Hyuuga commented lightly. Piercing white eyes narrowed almost immediately in incomprehension when they saw hazel eyes glance at the two newcomers to the scene. "Only a coward would keep trying to escape."

"And only a fool would risk his life so easily," Nakajima returned, his refined accent doing little to mask the breathless anticipation in his voice.

He had attempted his jutsu earlier with both his opponents, but their minds were simply too strong for him to overcome. The kunoichi's mind on the other hand was so easily infiltrated that it was almost too easy. Perhaps her mind had been attacked before... not that he cared.

Nakajima briefly looked down at the kunoichi's eyes that were so much like his in terms of colouration, yet hers were wide and filled with fear and worry for her teammates, while his held only a strange look of satisfaction.

That little girl had ruined his plans once before.

Now she was going to make it up to him whether she liked it or not.

* * *

Tenten winced visibly when a strange, prickling pain started in her temple, only for it to vanish as suddenly and quickly as it had come.

"Tenten-san, is something wrong?" Rin asked concernedly.

"No it's nothing- Ah!"

As if in retaliation to her earlier statement, the pain returned, this time with a burning intensity that brought her to her knees, her hands flying to her head. It felt like someone was stabbing her head with a blunt kunai, only ten times worse.

Tenten could vaguely hear someone calling her name, but she couldn't say anything through her gritted teeth. It was only through sheer determination and effort that she was able to choke back the scream that threatened to tear itself from her throat.

She was all too grateful to succumb to the darkness when unconsciousness finally arrived to claim her.

* * *

_Damn it_, Kazuya cursed inwardly as his fuuma shuriken sliced through another log.

Although he tried to keep his focus on the fight, his dark grey eyes kept instinctively darting over to Rin and Tenten to assure himself of their safety. But when he detected a sudden surge of chakra that wasn't headed for him or Neji and heard Rin's scream, not only he, but Neji and even Nakajima himself turned their attention to the only two occupants of the otherwise deserted garden.

Tenten had fallen to her knees, clutching her head while Rin was kneeling beside her, calling her name repeatedly.

Nakajima began to engage Neji once more and Kazuya found himself flooded with indecision. He wanted to see if Tenten was alright, but he couldn't simply abandon Hyuuga to do so. By now, Tenten had stopped shaking and Rin was patting her back soothingly so it didn't take him much longer to decide.

Before he left to do what he was supposed to, Kazuya took one last glance at the two young women kneeling in the middle of the grounds spread out below him. It was then that he saw that Tenten's hand holding something that glinted dangerously in the pale moonlight that sifted through the departing clouds, ready to plunge it into his childhood friend's side.

"Rin, move!"

The stunned girl merely raised her head to find the source of the harsh command, her beautiful turquoise eyes filled with confusion. The next thing she knew, she was roughly pushed out of the way by someone and there were dark red droplets staining her kimono.

Her eyes widened in horror as she recognized the crimson liquid. But when she saw where it had come from, she immediately clasped her hands over her mouth. It was all she could do to keep herself from screaming.

Despite the stinging pain in his hand, Kazuya maintained his protective stance in front of Rin, gripping the blade of the Tenten's kunai tightly. Neither of them even seemed to notice the steady dripping of blood onto the grass at their feet.

"Are you okay?" Kazuya asked, briefly inclining his head to the girl behind him. When she nodded, the relief in his tone was almost tangible. "You should go."

This time she didn't hesitate to obey.

Once he was sure that Rin was safely out of harm's way, he turned to Tenten with an anger that blazed in his stormy grey eyes until he realized the complete lack of expression in hers.

They remained there for several more seconds, neither moving nor speaking. Then they simultaneously released the kunai trapped between them and the soft rustling as the kunai hit the grass was accompanied by the metallic clang of kunai against Fuuma shuriken.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Yay, I got this up before New Year's. :D**

**My friend who checked through this mentioned that it was odd for Neji and Kazuya to be hindered by Nakajima's chakra strings for so long since they're supposed to have experience and stuff. Actually, although it feels much longer in writing, in real time the events of this chapter would have probably taken at the very most fifteen minutes or so. **

**Also, both Neji and Kazuya have been quite limited in this fight because of Nakajima's unusual choice of weapon and his less than honourable tactics, which will explain why they've been for fighting longer than the length of usual shinobi battles. **

**Then again, although fights between ninja are supposed to last for a few minutes (according to Kakashi), every big battle scene in the actual series last on average three episodes, aka an hour. Unless of course if victory is **_**completely**_** assured to one side due to the sheer difference in strength. If so, the loser(s) drop dead pretty quickly. :P**

**So since everyone is **_**still**_** fighting, it can be safely assumed that the Neji-Kazuya tag team and Nakajima are about on par. **

**For now. :)**

**Update - 20/1/09:**

**My beta reader beta read this XP Her exams aren't over yet but she still took the time to look through it for me. Cookies and a big hug are in order for my senpai/sensei, Midnight Memories. **


	13. Genjutsu

****

Disclaimer: Never have and never will.

* * *

Tenten was wandering through a thick, oppressive fog. The last thing she remembered was the blinding pain in her head before everything went black.

Now there was no pain. There was nothing. No light. No sound.

The deprivation was terrifying.

"Neji!? Kazuya?" she called out haltingly, trying to get her bearings and wanting to hear something other than complete, utter silence.

Expectedly there was no reply, but when Tenten saw something change in the unvaried, dark landscape, she practically ran towards it. What she saw made her stop dead in her tracks.

Her beloved parents, teammates, every single person who she held dear to her was lying dead in a growing pool of blood.

"You killed them."

She tore her gaze away from the horrifying sight before her and looked up to see a masked woman holding a bloodstained sword watching her calmly. The mysterious figure lowered its porcelain mask and Tenten stared at the very face she saw in her mirror every day, the face her mother and father had given to her.

Suddenly she couldn't breathe. An unbidden whimper escaped from her mouth as the inevitable wave of overwhelming guilt and grief threatened to drown her, pulling her down to her knees, reminding her that she was alone and that it was all her fault.

The battle hardened mistress of blades was gone.

All Tenten could do was weep.

* * *

Tenten's movements were always fluid and graceful when she fought, and the way she was doing so now left no question as to whether or not she was serious. From the beginning Kazuya had refused to kill or even hurt her in any way, but she didn't seem to have any problem doing either.

Although she was somewhat limited in terms of jutsu by the lack of her large scroll, it didn't make his fighting her any easier. He had been trying to get close enough to knock her unconscious, but each time he would be pushed back by a barrage of weapons.

Her injured shoulder didn't seem to be affecting her in the least. Kazuya suspected that she probably couldn't feel it at all thanks to Nakajima's sick jutsu, but at the rate she was going, the wound would reopen and it would hurt like hell afterwards.

Kazuya's grip on the shuriken tightened as he parried a blow from Tenten's twin katana and stared into the blank, lifeless depths of her usually expressive eyes.

He was going to _murder_ that bastard who dared to use and degrade her body this way. If he was still alive after Hyuuga was through with him. Unfortunately, things didn't look like they were going too well on Hyuuga's end.

In fact, the entire fight seemed to have been orchestrated in Nakajima's favour. Hyuuga didn't have the weapons to sever Nakajima's chakra strings and the last time he'd checked, his clan's weapons didn't have any blunt edges for him to attack Tenten without harming her.

If he and Hyuuga switched places, it would be an entirely different story altogether, but by getting Tenten to target Rin, Nakajima had lured him away from the fight to engage Tenten. It wasn't that he would lose, but by winning he would most likely end up killing her and that was something he would never allow.

But unless Hyuuga came up with something good, it was only a matter of time he lost.

"Hyuuga!"

Said Hyuuga caught the fuuma shuriken Kazuya threw at him out of pure instinct.

"How do I use this?"

"I'm a little busy here, in case you haven't noticed," Kazuya answered, hastily dodging the shuriken headed his way. "You're supposed to be a genius, right? Figure it out yourself!"

Kazuya knew that he was asking too much. Even with the proper instruction, most Jounin took a week or more to learn how to channel chakra into their weapons and sharpen it. But Hyuuga Njeji wasn't one of your average Jounin, at least not from what he'd seen and heard so far.

_I hope I'm right about you Hyuuga. _

_If not, we're all dead. _

* * *

"Kaiten!"

Neji's chakra barrier deflected the chakra strings before they so much as touched him. Once he was certain that there wasn't anything in his immediate vicinity, he slowed his spin and eventually came to a stop, his jutsu leaving behind a large crater in the ground in its wake.

He caught sight of something charging towards him and quickly channelled his energy into the fuuma shuriken, raising it in time to block Nakajima's tanto. Several chakra laced wires immediately wrapped themselves around the shuriken, but the thin layer chakra covering every inch of the weapon was preventing the chakra strings from slicing right through the metal like they had the kunai Neji had tried cutting the strings with before. However, his borrowed shuriken couldn't cut Nakajima's chakra strings either, so perhaps it was merely a stalemate.

Neji watched hazel eyes narrow, the owner's lips pulled back in a silent snarl before returning to their earlier, carefully blanked expression.

Apparently, Nakajima hadn't been expecting this.

"What did you do to her?" The single question was nearly inaudible and yet forceful at the same time. His mercurial eyes bore into his opponent's, but the latter was hardly intimidated by his glare.

"As you can see, she has been most cooperative." The other shinobi started deliberately, giving him a deceptively friendly smile. "After a little persuasion, of course."

White eyes sharpened at the implications of what Nakajima had just said, but he didn't ask or say anything more. When it was clear that neither of them were going to give in, Nakajima disappeared back into the shadows to prepare for his next assault.

Keeping his byakugan trained on Nakajima, Neji ran through his remaining options. His sole long ranged technique was too easily avoided and his opponent's wires prevented him from getting close enough to attack.

Neji glanced at the fuuma shuriken in his hand. Shaping his chakra after it had been channelled into the weapon was proving to be more difficult than he had expected. At this rate, he would never be able to sever Nakajima's chakra strings without Fuuma's help. Unless...

The Hyuuga made sure the energy in the shuriken hadn't yet dissipated before sending his chakra to his fingertips.

He was going to end this.

* * *

At first, Nakajima found himself somewhat bemused his opponent made the first move. He reacted immediately, sending out his strings to attack the Hyuuga who continued coming straight for him, both dodging and blocking them with his newly acquired weapon.

His surprise turned into amusement when he comprehended the reason behind the Hyuuga's sudden change in tactics. It was out of desperation to end the fight as quickly as possible, most likely to save his precious kunoichi.

_You don't need to trouble yourself, Hyuuga-san. This is going to end. _

_With _my_ victory._

Once the Hyuuga had successfully dodged the last wire, the hidden chakra strings around Nakajima's legs shot forward to secure themselves around his wrists, catching him completely off guard. The other ends of the two wires wound themselves tightly around the branches of a nearby tree, preventing their captive's arms from making even the slightest movement.

The fuuma shuriken hit the ground with a clatter.

Nakajima approached his fallen enemy slowly as if savouring the latter's defeat that was soon to come. He stopped right in front of the Hyuuga and raised his tanto directly above the Hyuuga's chest when something hit his.

Hard.

"H-How-" Nakajima choked on a mouthful of his own blood, his face contorting with pain as his legs gave way.

The Hyuuga prodigy smirked, tapping the strings binding his other hand with the glowing index finger of his freed hand. His chakra had been concentrated and shaped there into a small, razor-sharp chakra blade. The metal wires snapped instantly under his touch.

"I'm a genius."

* * *

The second Neji's chakra filled palm put Nakajima out of commission, Tenten froze. Then, like a puppet with its strings cut, she collapsed right over the edge of the roof she was standing on.

From the opposite rooftop, Kazuya bit back a curse as he followed her down. Just when he realized that he wasn't going to make it, Neji managed to catch the unconscious kunoichi before she hit the ground.

"Is she okay?" Kazuya asked. Neji ignored him as he gave Tenten a quick once over with his byakugan.

Although she hadn't sustained any injuries during her fight with Fuuma, the wound on her back had opened again. The blood had soaked through the bandages, staining the white fabric of her shirt with a deep red patch that was steadily growing bigger. Neji could feel the wetness seeping into his hakama where he had pressed it against the wound to stem the blood flow.

It wasn't as serious as it looked, but it was best to get it treated as soon as possible.

"Send for a doctor."

The Hyuuga's voice was soft, but it carried well over to the people in the building behind him. One of the guards raced off to carry out his order. Neji laid his teammate down on the soft grass, entrusting her to Fuuma only out of necessity.

Convinced that it was finally safe, several more guards stepped out of the building and proceeded to follow the Jounin as he walked over to Nakajima and helped the latter to his feet at Neji's direction.

"Release her." The steely command behind his request was blatant to everyone who heard it. Nakajima was no exception. Breathing heavily, he brought his hands together to form a hand seal.

Neji's byakugan could clearly see Nakajima's chakra leaving Tenten's body, but he had a feeling that something was amiss.

Tenten still wasn't waking up.

"It's not over yet."

The stunned silence that followed Nakajima's simple statement was shattered by a piercing scream.

* * *

"Tenten? Tenten, what's wrong?" Kazuya asked over the screams of the girl lying on the ground in front of him.

"Tenten-san!" Rin came running past of the guards surrounding her and out into the garden to her friend's side.

Neji could only stand there, watching Fuuma and Sakurai-san's attempts to comfort the crying kunoichi. Never in his life had he seen Tenten like this. The worst was that every single pain-filled sob that escaped her lips made his chest tighten in a way he couldn't comprehend.

Turning all of his conflicting emotions into anger, he unleashed the full extent of his glare combined with his kekkei genkai on the man in front of him.

"What did you do?" His question was barely audible and yet so forceful at the same time.

"I merely released her from my control, Hyuuga-san," Nakajima replied calmly. "Unfortunately, my jutsu can only be used on people who aren't fully conscious, so I'm afraid I had to put her under a genjutsu."

"Release her. _Now_." Neji was slow and deliberate in his speech, but the warning in his tone was clear enough.

"I will if you let me go. If not, I'd say she has less than ten minutes before she breaks. Especially if she is as weak as she looks. And when she does, her mind will retreat so deeply into itself that she will die."

Neji did not say anything, but he found himself actually considering the idea despite the fact that surrendering would mean that he had lost. Hyuuga Neji hated losing, but there was only one thing that that he simply could not afford _to_ lose.

He began making his way towards the three people in the middle of the garden. Kazuya had stood up, his eyes burning with defiance as he stared straight into his superior's powerful eyes.

"You mean you're going to just let her die?" Kazuya questioned, his voice filled barely restrained anger. The Hyuuga's silence was all the confirmation he needed. The only thing that was stopping him from punching was Rin's hand that was clutching his.

"You're a bigger asshole than I thought."

Neji couldn't bring himself to meet the blonde's hard, accusing glare. Instead, deactivated his bloodline limit and he bent down to Tenten's level.

"Tenten. Tenten." Compared to the way he had been speaking with Nakajima earlier, the Hyuuga's voice was markedly less harsh. Yet, it still retained that strained note of urgency and had even taken on an almost questioning, if not pleading tone.

By now, the tears on her face had stopped falling. Several precious seconds passed as she took several shaky breaths before she spoke, her voice so soft that he almost missed it.

"I-I don't want to be alone..."

There was that uncharacteristic tightening in his chest again before he could think of the right words to say.

"You're not alone," he finally said.

"I can't see anyone. They're all dead," she whispered brokenly. The odd quality in her voice made it sound like she was on the verge of tears again.

"Tenten-san-" Rin started, but stopped when Kazuya shook his head.

The fact that Tenten was responding meant that the genjutsu was weakening, that she was still fighting it. But judging from the way she hadn't even seemed to hear them when he and Rin had tried, she would only respond to Neji. Any interruptions could just as easily send her right back into the illusion, only this time, it could be permanent.

"Open your eyes, Tenten. We're right here."

Tenten's chest rose and fell unevenly as her eyelids fluttered, her head turning towards the familiar sound.

"Neji..." Her brown eyes shone brilliant amber in the moonlight as she looked up at him with a tiny smile before she slipped back into unconsciousness.

"No!" Nakajima shouted, thoroughly defeated now with the loss of his final bargaining chip.

"Saa, Nakajima-san," Soichiro said as stepped out into the gardens with his ever faithful bodyguard and god-brother, Hiroshi, in tow. "You can either come peacefully, or we'll have to use force."

"Insolent boy!" Nakajima spat, struggling weakly in an attempt to escape the guards' hold. "Your pathetic father would have been nothing without me!"

Soichiro's normally gentle eyes narrowed at the insult as he ordered his guards to take Nakajima away.

"We'll him over to the police in the morning, Hyuuga-san," Soichiro assured Neji who nodded once.

Then, for the second time in as many nights, the Hyuuga strode away with the smaller, bloodied frame of his partner's cradled gently in his arms.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D I know I've put the characters through a lot of grief this time, and this arc isn't even over yet. *grins maniacally* **

**Now to answer your questions before you ask. **

**Neji's new trick basically consists of gathering chakra in his fingertips like he does for his Eight Trigrams 64 Palms technique and forming the right shape. I figured that this would be easier for him than shaping his chakra after it had been channelled into the fuuma shuriken. As for how our favourite Hyuuga genius came up with this and how he learnt it so quickly, the aforementioned title speaks for itself. ;P**

**Now, some of you may be wondering why Tenten couldn't snap out of the illusion by herself and why she was so easily taken in by it. All I can say is that it was an extremely powerful genjutsu and maybe give a little hint to check the previous chapter for something said by a certain character that also adds to this explanation. **

**Also, some of you may be a little pissed at Neji and agree with Kazuya whole-heartedly for not letting that moron go and saving Tenten. This issue, amongst a few others, will be taken up in the following chapters of this part of the story.**

**And finally, as for why Neji was the only one who was able to help Tenten break the genjutsu? It could be because the jutsu was weakening due to Nakajima was losing his hold on her. But to confirm it for those of you who were speculating, it's mainly because of the close bond that the two of them share, even if one doesn't remember and the other's just too proud to admit it. :)**

**That's it for now.**

**Update - 20/1/09:**

**Beta read by Midnight Memories XD**


	14. Disillusion

**Disclaimer: A simple (somewhat debatable at this point) plot like this makes my head hurt. An epic one like the one in Naruto would have already made it explode so I obviously don't and ****can't**** own it. **

**Chapter title definition for those of you who were wondering:**

**Disillusion - The disappointing loss of a belief or an ideal.**

**Definition based on my trusty Electronic Dictionary/Thesaurus. I don't know how I'd have survived this far without it :P**

* * *

From his seat behind the regal oak desk, Soichiro looked out of the windows of his office with a vague distant expression. Although it was still mostly dark, morning was already starting to tentatively streak the sky.

He hadn't slept for the last several hours, his mind too preoccupied with everything that had happened. The more he thought, the less it seemed to make sense.

When he voiced these concerns to his god-brother, the quiet man standing guard behind him had stated simply, "Seiichiro-sama told me to give this to you when the time was right."

The way Hiroshi's voice was wrought with conviction and sadness suggested that much more depth was involved, however. The young businessman's suspicions proved to be true when Hiroshi handed him something that glinted in the candlelight before taking his leave.

Although it possessed no distinguishing features and could easily be mistaken for any other, Soichiro recognized the small metallic object instantly. It was the key his father had worn around his neck on a golden chain throughout his entire life.

It was the one that opened the last drawer of the very desk in front of him now, the drawer that had always been locked and kept firmly shut for as long as he could remember.

When he was younger, he had always wondered what could be inside. This wasn't the way his childish mind had imagined the day he would finally be allowed to see its contents.

Especially since the one he had been expecting to be by his side when he did so was his father.

Bending down, Soichiro easily unlocked the drawer and pulled it open, and was almost surprised, though it was not entirely unexpected, that the only thing inside was a relatively full folder. It wasn't until he glanced through the papers within that at long last, everything finally fell into place.

Majority of the file held records of Nakajima's extensive illegal activities for over a decade, ranging from fraud, embezzlement and even blackmail. How his father had gotten these was anyone's guess, but it more than explained why his father had neglected to even mention the man in his will.

Apparantly, it was this exclusion which had most likely lead to Nakajima murdering him.

Then there was a letter from one of his father's long time friends, the head of prestigious Hyuuga clan. It told him of Hyuuga Hiashi's promise to Seiichiro to keep his son safe if anything should happen as per his father's request.

This particular discovery sent a twinge of guilt through Soichiro, only for it to be replaced with utter shock when he read the contents of the last sheet of paper.

It was a copy of a birth certificate. _Hiroshi's _birth certificate. What he had been completely unprepared for was the surname attached to the beginning of his god-brother's name where it was written at the very top of the document.

_Nakajima_ Hiroshi.

Soichiro remember the way Nakajima had brought Hiroshi back with him after returning from a business trip. At the same time, something his father had told him once he was old enough to understand came to mind.

_"A person's assets will always be transferred to his nearest of kin after he dies, unless he wills otherwise. One day, Soichiro, all this will belong to you and I'm trusting you to continue my legacy." _

The last statement was rather ironic considering the current state of events. Yet, Soichiro now realized that he had still been too young to grasp the true meaning and the possible implications of his words.

"Ah..." he said softly, a faint, resigned tone creeping into his voice.

_He used his own son as a means to an end._

If Nakajima's scheme had succeeded, either Sakurai-san or himself would be dead and Hiroshi would have been executed for an attempted murder that was hardly his fault. Since his father's will technically named Hiroshi as the main beneficiary, everything would have gone automatically to Nakajima.

Although that situation had been completely likely to occur at the time, thankfully, it hadn't. However, Nakajima had still managed to claim one victory over them.

Despite all his wisdom, foresight and experience, Fujimura Seiichiro was dead.

As a child, Soichiro had never understood his father's actions, and even less so as an adult. But he knew that his old man's reasons for doing what he did had always been justifiable, even if he didn't always agree with his methods.

Whether or not his father's death had been a part of his plan or simply something that couldn't be avoided, he would never know. From what he could gather, it seemed that his father had blatantly sacrificed his own safety for him.

Not to mention, although naming Hiroshi as the direct heir had been able to somewhat redirect Nakajima's attention and draw him out to ensure that they would be rid of him once and for all, it was a strategy that placed significant risk on the only relative he had left.

Biological or not, his god brother had always been loyal to a fault. It was a trait he had constantly been annoyed by before he had assumed his new, precarious position. Thrown into a world of business and politics, he was now beginning to truly appreciate having someone he could trust.

His father had probably felt the same.

With mixed emotions running across his hazel eyes, Soichiro glanced at the file spread out before him. This was his father's way of communicating with him from his grave. It could also have been another one of his father's tests, to see if he would be able to put the pieces of this elusive puzzle together.

He had.

But when it all came down to it, perhaps the most one could do was to prepare and then hope for the best. His chances of making it through this entire incident unharmed had only been raised thanks to his father's careful planning. The fact that everyone, including him, _had_ survived was mainly due to luck and, perhaps of it existed, some twisted form of fate.

The number of unexpected and sometimes downright unfair surprises that had occurred during this entire scheme were things that no one could possibly have imagined, let alone prepare for. It was also proof that things would never go just as anyone planned it to.

Life just wasn't that perfect.

_Then again_, Soichiro added to himself, replacing the thick folder in its rightful drawer and locking it tightly once more.

_Neither are we. _

* * *

Tenten had slept fitfully as her body continued its internal battle with the remnants of Nakajima's chakra. She'd tossed and turned so much that he had been forced to hold her down for the first few hours before her sudden, jerky movements caused the wound on her back to open again.

He hadn't expect her to sleep through it, quite the opposite in fact, but somehow she had. He was glad of it; she had been through enough pain for one night.

Now, with dawn's soft light streaming in from the window, he could see that her skin was paler than usual from blood loss and her hair was tangled and in disarray. Her breathing had steadied, though, and instead of unconsciousness, she was sleeping naturally.

Of course, he could still sense traces of unfamiliar chakra tainting hers. It would be days before the foreign energy would be completely expelled from her system. It wasn't something that could be helped.

However, it seemed like the worst was over.

He gently laid, on the bed, the hand he had been holding in an effort to calm her, but when she began to stir, he placed it on top of hers once more. Tenten stilled immediately and fell back into her peaceful slumber.

He owed her this much for taking that gamble with her life.

If he _had_ agreed to Nakajima's condition, they would have failed their duty and Tenten herself would never have forgiven him if she knew he had let a man like him go for her sake. However, he also hadn't been absolutely certain that she would have been able to break free of the genjutsu, even with his help.

But what was done, was done.

He had chosen to risk her life for something so trivial and he would never do so again. Even if it meant she would hate him for his decision.

Neji's only comforting thought was that they had won in the end.

He didn't think it was much of a comfort.

* * *

The sun was blocked by an overcast sky. A gentle breeze was beginning to pick up, carrying pale pink petals from the garden's trees and depositing them around the garden and along the hallways.

The upcoming rain would wash away the remaining sakura blossoms with the sole consolation that they would return the following year.

Kazuya made his way down the deserted hallway, wanting to check on Tenten. But when he sensed two separate chakra signatures instead of the expected one inside her room, he hesitated.

Then he turned around and started heading back to his own room.

"F-Fuuma-san..." a familiar voice stammered slightly.

Kazuya froze as Rin rounded the corridor. Her feet were light and almost silent on the boards of the landing as she came closer, stopping just a few steps away from him.

She shyly lowered her gaze as she explained, her voice quavering at first and eventually holding firm. "I came to see if Tenten-san was alright."

"She's okay. Hyuuga's with her," Kazuya reassured her.

"Oh," she said faintly as she bit her lips in nervous indecision.

"Fuuma-san, about the wedding, I-"

"You know," he murmured gently, already knowing what she was going to say. "You don't have to seek my approval for everything."

He shifted uncomfortably as she looked at him with wide eyes. Her hair was down today, cascading down her back like ebony ribbons. She looked so beautiful, standing there in her ivory kimono...

Her expression made him look away; grey eyes glanced briefly at the sakura scattered space between them.

"I'm glad that you've found someone you can be happy with," he said quietly in a low, unreadable tone.

The way her lashes glittered with tears made it clear that she was not.

She smiled anyway.

"Thank you." Her reply was almost voiceless and this time, she didn't look at him when she spoke. The sadness mingled with her words caught his notice like nothing could.

"Rin..." he tried to explain, to retract the way that had come across to her in the face of her obvious hurt, but he didn't get a chance to do so.

"Sakurai-sama, your parents have arrived."

Rin turned around to acknowledge the maid that had addressed her earlier before bowing politely to the man in front of her.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, Fuuma-san," she apologized genuinely. Her low voice vibrated through him, her words catching somewhere near his heart.

Kazuya could only watch as both Rin and the maid disappeared down the hallway.

Through the tempest of emotions now coursing through him, the only one he could express and, to a certain extent, understand caused his fists to tighten unconsciously.

Ignoring the stinging pain in his bandaged hand, the Fuuma clan heir silently strode out into the garden and proceeded to vault effortlessly over the wall that separated the estate from the busy streets of the surrounding town. He didn't really know nor cared where he was headed.

As long as it wasn't _here._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**This is quite an angsty chapter with the focus on the three leading men of this arc. I had to think emo thoughts, listen to emo sounding music and generally got all depressed and depressing while writing it. But it was fun, so who cares. :P**

**The first half (?) explains Nakajima's entire scheme as well as almost all of Soichiro's dad's. I got a bit lost while planning it all and I was half afraid I'd get an aneurysm or something from all the thinking and sorting through the plot piece by piece to check for loopholes and stuff. Like my beta reader said, too many men, too many wills... T_T I hope it wasn't too confusing and that you liked the little twist if you did manage to understand it. **

**As you can probably tell, I'm most likely going to keep giving Neji some grief over all the stuff that happened in the previous chapter. But he does sort it out eventually with a little help because he's just so smart like that. Kazuya on the other hand has some really big issues to deal with. He'll be MIA for the next chapter, but his past and Rin's will be revealed soon. **

**There will most definitely be some NejiTen fluff coming up, but other than that, the next two chapters are mostly about the OC pairing. I won't say who since it's pretty obivous. *wink***

**Many thanks to Midnight Memories for beta-reading this and for helping me correct the awkward grammar and pointing out any vague phrasing that could have been potentially confusing. Expectedly, most of the trouble came from Soichiro's part, but now it's much much much better :) **

**Until next time. **


	15. Understanding

**Disclaimer: All hail the great Kishimoto-sensei for creating the series. Now I shall go fan-girl over Neji. **

* * *

The rain had been little more than a light drizzle when she'd first entered into the room. Now, she could heard the pounding of a storm outside, its tempo washing over the entire estate.

For the last few minutes she had been sitting on her cushion; legs tucked carefully into the traditional seiza style and lightly embroidered ivory silk spread out over the tatami floor around her.

She didn't mind the wait; in fact she was thankful for it. It gave her time to compose herself, but she could only conceal the heart ache, not lessen it.

Rin glanced down sadly at her reflection on the polished surface of the table in front of her.

From the day she was born she had been carefully groomed to become the perfect lady. To present herself like a pretty porcelain doll as and when she was to be displayed. To become some rich man's consort and throw strategic parties in support of her husband's climb on the ladder of success and status. To provide him an heir who could continue his family name.

It wasn't her place to do anything else and she could only accept that simple fact even if she didn't want to.

The door slid open and an ornately dressed, middle-aged man strode deliberately into the room. His air of cold authority always made her uneasy and unsure of herself, not that she was usually a confident person to begin with.

A beautiful, seemingly much younger woman trailed behind him. Looking at her was like a glimpse of how her daughter would look when she was older. Everything about her was so sweet and kind that she more than made up for the love her husband could never give their child.

Rin rose to her feet with practiced grace and bowed respectfully.

"Otou-sama. Okaa-sama."

Her mother smiled softly while her father didn't acknowledge her greeting. She waited for her parents to sit down before slowly lowering herself back into her seat.

"Have you been doing well?" he enquired gruffly.

Rin took some time to study the face of a man who should have been familiar to her, but wasn't. Her father had always been so busy running his businesses that she had never spent much time with him. The deep lines of stress around his eyes made him seem older and wiser than his forty-something years.

She couldn't help but feel even more intimidated, if that was possible.

"Everyone here has been very kind to me; Soichiro-sama and Hiroshi-san especially. I am very grateful for all their help," she struggled to keep her voice even.

"Fujimura-san is a good man." Thin lips flattened into a grim line. "I trust that this engagement will not fall through again." There was a slight yet unmistakeable emphasis on the last word as the business tycoon's smouldering onyx eyes bore into his daughter's exotic turquoise.

He did not see the pain and resignation that drifted across her features for the briefest of moments before she bowed her head in silent apology, her voice a barely audible whisper.

"Hai, Otou-sama."

"I received word that Kazuya Fuuma will be attending the wedding."

Rin winced slightly at her father's thinly veiled irritation when he mentioned the young shinobi heir's name.

"He arrived three days ago," she replied.

"I will meet with him after I see Fujimura-san," he stated, his tone deceptively calm but the hint of condescension was apparent even to Rin.

Her father may have begrudged Kazuya's choice but she didn't. She couldn't blame him for wanting to be with the one he loved.

If only she had been given the chance to make the same choice.

The other wishfully impossible and oh so selfish alternative being that the one he loved had been _her_.

Her mother didn't miss the way her only child shifted uncomfortably. She placed a hand lightly on her husbands arm, waiting for his curt nod of permission before standing up.

"Rin-chan, I'm going to oversee the preparations for the ceremony. Would you like to come?" she asked kindly.

"Go with your mother," her father ordered before she could say anything.

With a soft 'hai', Rin obediently followed her mother as she made her way of the room.

The way her little girl relaxed visibly once they were outside failed to escape her watchful gaze. Once they had rounded the hallway onto another corridor, she heard her daughter speak.

Okaa-sama, I don't feel very well."

"Oh dear," she murmured with genuine worry. "Would you like me to send for someone to take you back to your room?"

Rin shook her head.

"Very well then. Try to get some rest. I'll come check on you later." Her voice was gentle and soothing.

"Hai. Arigato, Okaa-sama."

The Sakurai matriarch's sad smile only grew more melancholy as she watched her daughter go.

While most had long since forgone the idea, the more traditional families still insisted on arranging potentially advantageous marriages for their children amongst those of similar or higher status.

Especially those with no male heirs.

She herself may have married a man she didn't love for the sake of her family's wishes, but it was a thankless fate no mother would ever wish on her daughter.

However, her position meant that she could never oppose her husband on anything. She could only hope that her Rin would be able to find a some semblance of happiness.

It was the most either of them could hope for.

* * *

Neji was awoken by faint tapping sound that was slightly different from the familiar drumming of rain on the roof. He had drifted off some time around dawn, one hand propped on the small bedside table while the other loosely held his teammate's.

He glanced briefly at the bed beside him and wasn't sure whether or not to be surprised when he realized that Tenten was still fast asleep. A little more colour had returned to her cheeks and she didn't notice when he removed his hand before quietly making his way towards the door and opening it.

"Sakurai-san," the Hyuuga greeted as he stepped out of the room, sliding the shoji screen shut.

"Can I see Tenten-san?" she asked, the odd note in her voice did not escape his notice.

"She's still asleep." he replied curtly.

Turquoise eyes seemed to grow even more troubled; then their expression shifted to one that Neji could only describe as resigned before she slowly lowered her gaze.

"Hyuuga-san, can I ask you something?" the young heiress' request was so soft it was nearly a whisper.

Although he wasn't exactly sure what was going on, Neji simply maintained a sympathetic silence as he waited for her to continue.

"H-Have you ever been in love?" Her voice was nearly drowned out by the rain, but he had heard her question quite clearly.

"No," came the immediate and obvious response.

"Oh." The sadness in that single syllable and the melancholy look on her face caused his brow to crease slightly with something he really didn't want to think about.

Uncharacteristic as it may have sounded, he couldn't simply allow her to leave without providing her some form of assistance, but at this point he was truly at a loss for words.

The silence was filled in by the pitter patter of water droplets on the wooden flooring of the hallway as Neji considered her question once more. This time, it conjured an unexpected wisp of memory; one of glinting kunai, twin buns, dancing smoke dragons and smiling brown eyes that felt like a lifetime ago.

Watching her with pale eyes that were fractionally warmer than normal, Neji spoke. "Being indecisive will end up hurting yourself and others. If you're honest with yourself about how you feel, then you won't regret your decision."

Neji was quite taken aback when the girl before him looked up. The smile on her lips was small and tremulous, but the look in her eyes left him no doubt that he had said the right thing.

"Arigato, Hyuuga-san!" she exclaimed brightly, turning around and quickly heading in the direction of the main estate.

A few seconds later, she stopped abruptly and came back, bowing hastily to the mildly nonplussed Hyuuga before running off again.

With the barest hint of an amused smile, Neji pulled open the traditional wooden door and went back into the room.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, Tenten was greeted by the gentle lull of raindrops and voices coming from somewhere outside her room. At first there were no words, just faint feminine murmurings.

Then someone else began to speak and this time, the rich baritone was easily recognizable. His voice seemed to be tinged with a hint of hesitation, becoming surer as it resumed its normal tone.

It wasn't until he finished that what he was trying to say registered in her still slightly drowsy mind and she found herself extremely amused by her poor teammate's current predicament.

Fortunately for him, whoever he was attempting to give advice to had understood, exclaiming her thanks before hurrying away.

Not long after, the door slid open and Tenten simply couldn't resist teasing her overly serious superior.

"I never knew you could be that romantic."

She had to bite her lip to keep herself from giggling out loud at the incomprehension that flickered across the stoic male's face. It wasn't long before the unreadable line returned to his lips and he regained his usual carefully blanked expression.

"Sakurai-san was looking for you." he said flatly as he closed the door, not seeing that unmistakeable glint of mischief in her chocolate irises.

"I know."

The Hyuuga's attention was immediately fixed back upon her.

"You could have said something." Narrowed colourless eyes gave her a look that was more of a glare than anything else, but Tenten was far from intimidated.

"I didn't want to interrupt your speech. Besides, you seemed to be doing a pretty good job on your own," she teased lightly.

"Hn." The way he bit the word off imparted that _that _particular discussion was over. He strode purposefully across the room and settled himself on a stool beside her bed that definitely hadn't been there before.

"How are you feeling?" Neji asked smoothly.

"Not too bad." Apart from the light throbbing in her shoulder, she was otherwise quite well physically. "Is everyone else alright?"

"They're fine," he assured her.

Tenten sighed quietly in relief. She could only recall bits and pieces of everything that had happened last night, but as long as everyone was safe...

"You saved me again, didn't you?" It was just a guess on her part since she vaguely remembered seeing him before she had blacked out, and she wasn't all that surprised when he nodded once in reply.

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately," she mused with a small smile that quickly became sheepish when her stomach gave an audible growl.

Neji acted as if he hadn't seen the mild blush colouring her cheeks.

"I'll send for some food." He stood up and headed towards the door.

"Neji," she called out and the shinobi in question turned to face her.

"Thank you."

Tenten had assumed that he wouldn't say anything because she didn't think there really was anything more to say. After staring down at her silently for a long moment, the impassive Hyuuga answered her thanks in a way that was so _Neji _that she should have expected it.

"Aa," he said almost gently and Tenten watched the door close slowly behind him with a smile.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Rather short I know, but it's something a little more light-hearted after all the emo-ness of the last chapter, lol. Okay, the first bit about Rin wasn't really all that light-hearted, but the rest of it is. Kind of.**

**It feels great to write actual fluff again after all the not-so-fluffable scenes and some implied fluff every now and then in the last couple of chapters. There will be more coming up in the next chapter so keep your toothbrushes handy in case you get a toothache from all the sugary goodnesss :P**

**This chapter was beta read by my beyond awesome sensei, Midnight Memories. Congrats to her on her excellent results :D**

**The next chapter will be the second last one of this arc. I'm about sixty percent done with it, but my exams are coming up and will only be ending in about three weeks, 2nd March to be exact so I won't be able to finish it and send it off for beta-ing until then T_T **

**I'm really really sorry that you guys will have to wait. I'll try my best to finish it asap after everything is over. Sighs. **

**Wish me luck. **


	16. Kiss The Rain

**General Disclaimer: I don't own so don't sue.**

**Chapter Title Disclaimer: This chapter is named after the song that gave me the inspiration to write the scene at the end, "Kiss the Rain" by Yiruma. I swear the man is an absolute genius on the piano and I love every single one of his songs :D **

* * *

_She hadn't moved from that particular corner for the last few minutes. _

_"Why are you crying?" he asked, more out of curiosity than concern. _

_Blinking teary, turquoise eyes at him, she gave a small sniffle. "I-I tripped and spilled juice all over my new kimono. Otou-sama will be mad at me." She was really crying now, her tears slipping pitifully down her face._

_He, of course, didn't understand what the fuss was about. It was just a dress; he hadn't even noticed the patch of colour splashed across the front of her kimono until she'd mentioned it, since all it did was make the material seem slightly more pink. _

_But if her parents were going to be angry at her for staining it a little, then there was only one thing to do. _

_"Come on, we'll find your Otou-sama and tell him," he concluded, oblivious to the girl's instant mortification and lack of resistance as he took her hand. Gently pulling her along with him, he walked out of room that had been set aside for the children to the adjacent hall where all the adults were._

_The main foyer was so crowded that he doubted that he would even be able to find his own parents, never mind hers. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come here, after all... _

_"Okaa-sama!" _

_The girl ran out from behind him to hug a beautiful lady who looked just like herself. _

_"Oh my," the lady gasped softly, bending down to her daughter's level. "Rin-chan, what happened?" _

_"I-I..." Rin stammered, her lower lip quivering as she held back her tears._

_"I accidentally bumped into her and she spilled her drink," he blurted out, much to the surprise of both the girl and her mother. _

_"You're Fuuma-kun, aren't you?" the woman asked, smiling warmly at him when he nodded. "Rin-chan is quite clumsy isn't she?" _

_Her voice was gentle and unassuming, but his grey eyes widened when the hidden meaning in her words had properly registered in his young mind._

_How had she known?_

_"Thank you very much for helping my Rin. I hope you won't mind taking care of her for me when I'm not around." _

_Feeling immensely proud of himself, the boy nodded readily in agreement to the lady's request and she signalled for a maid to bring her daughter to change into a new set of clothes. _

_"Arigato, Fuuma-san," the girl said timidly, her voice barely above a whisper._

_"Don't call me that. That's my father's name," the boy told her in his childish lilt with all the authority of a six year old heir could possess. "My name is Kazuya..."_

* * *

The sudden shower had been more than successful in dispersing the usual afternoon crowd. Most had been caught unprepared for the abrupt change in weather and had no choice but to drop whatever they had been doing and scurry for shelter.

Eventually, more and more people began to emerge from the safety of the covered awnings and shop houses, walking down the streets at a quick pace, tossing odd looks from under their umbrellas at the young man who continued on his way as if he didn't even realize it was raining.

Kazuya didn't notice any of it.

He had always loved the rain. The cool water on his skin, the tranquil atmosphere and the semblance of calm and peace it brought, even if he was anything but calm. His eyes were dark and stormy, but also shadowed with doubt.

Looking down at his bandaged hand, he realized that the mission had completely evaporated from his mind when he had seen Tenten holding that kunai over her. That single sight had blocked out everything else that was happening around him, and he had immediately acted without even thinking to protect her.

Grey eyes hardened with harsh self-recrimination as his thoughts took an entirely different direction.

He recalled that fateful assignment he and Tenten had been sent on several months back to protect a civilian village on the outskirts of fire country from bandits. It had been an average C-ranked mission; that was until the bandits found out about the ninja guarding the town and decided to bring in reinforcements.

Instead of the estimated twenty, at least three times that number had ambushed from every imaginable direction.

Two shinobi could only be in two places at once.

When everything was over, he had found her with the bodies of two young girls with dirtied flowers in their hair that matched the ones growing amongst the bloodied grass.

Kazuya had never forgotten that image of her surrounded by dead bandits, countless weapons and the shards of a shattered fuuma shuriken, crying over the children that had been following the kunoichi around since they arrived, constantly asking her to play with them.

It had been a painful reminder that beneath the cold steel and her fiery spirit, she was just like any other girl.

From that day, he had made up his mind to protect her and for a time, he had almost thought that he had been in love with her.

_Almost._

But the worry he had felt when Tenten had been in danger last night was nothing compared to the unseemly fury and irrepressible fear that came over him at the mere thought of what could have happened if he had been even a moment too late to save Rin.

_You're pathetic._

For years he had been more than aware of how she felt about him. He knew it had been cruel of him to break off their engagement without any warning or providing some form of explanation for his decision.

However, after he had found out about Tenten's current condition and how it had happened, the knowledge had awakened him to the harsh reality that there was a possibility that something like that could happen to himself.

As a shinobi, it was his duty to sacrifice his life on the field for the greater good of his village if need be. It was better for her to be heartbroken now than devastated if he died on a mission.

She deserved someone who would be able to spend the rest of his life with her. If she gave him her heart and he ended up taking it with him to his grave, she would never be the same again.

He would rather live his life without her than let that happen.

Before he came here, he had made up his mind to maintain his distance from her. But when he had seen her after so many years of separation and suppressed emotions, he simply couldn't lie to himself any longer.

Eyes awash with deep emotion, Kazuya watched the raindrops falling from the heavens and wondered absently what he was doing here.

The memory of her hurt gaze refused to leave his mind. He didn't want it to leave; he more than deserved the guilt.

For a moment, he remembered the way she had looked as the innocent little girl who had cried when he'd left his childhood home for Konoha. He could only imagine how many more tears she had shed because of him.

She could never be happy with Fujimura and he had been completely insensitive and utterly stupid to so much as imply it. The only place she would ever be truly happy was with him.

Was a brief moment of happiness with him really worth risking a lifetime of grief? _He_ was certain that it wasn't, but now he realized that it wasn't _his_ choice to make.

It was hers.

With that thought in mind and an entirely unreadable expression, Kazuya turned around and ran back towards the estate.

Things were different now and they would never be the same as they had been before. He didn't even know if this was something he was going to be able to fix, especially since he was the one who had caused it but, he would try.

For both Rin's sake and his own.

* * *

True to his reputation as a ninja, he had simply vanished before anyone else had even realized he was gone.

Although she knew that, unlike her, he was fully capable of taking care of himself, it still hadn't stopped her from searching the entire expansive estate for him.

All the servants she had asked hadn't seen him at all. Some had even offered their assistance but she didn't want to trouble them any further even though her own efforts to look for him so far had been in vain.

It was extremely unbefitting for a lady, and downright improper now that she was an engaged one, to be so concerned about another man. Yet, it had somehow become very important to her that she find him before she could no longer see him and he truly walked out of her life for good.

One moment Rin had stopped to catch her breath as she gazed out at the garden spread in front of her, suffused in the watery sunlight that sifted through the departing clouds. The next she was splashing through the muddy puddles the storm had left behind without so much as a second thought.

He was back.

"Kazuya-kun!"

For a split second, Kazuya froze. He could only stand there as she ran towards him, taking in her flushed cheeks and mussed appearance.

Had she been looking for him?

"Are you alright? What happened to you?" The strange mixture of worry and relief in her voice was painfully obvious as she reached up to dab away the water on his face with the edge of her sleeve.

He didn't answer, his tousled, dripping blonde hair hanging down to obscure his face.

She was so close that he could clearly see that her sea-foam orbs were red-rimmed and ever so slightly swollen, as if she had been crying the whole time since he'd left. They were so different from the bright electric blue of his brother's that he had grown accustomed to seeing over the years of her absence. Hers was a softer, lighter shade with a greenish undertone that gave her eyes a beautiful glassy sheen; as if the ocean waves were trapped in her eyes.

This was his only chance to make everything right again and he would never get another if she left. His hand came up and his fingers wrapped around her wrist.

Before she even had a chance to react, his arms were around her, pulling her into a fierce embrace in a flurry of long dark hair and pale silk.

Barely up to his shoulders, her tiny form was pressed so tightly against his chest that the rainwater that soaked his shirt was seeping right through the light material of her kimono. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was sure he could feel it, and the mere thought of it made her blush even harder.

Mild distress hitched into her voice. "F-Fuuma...san-"

"I'm sorry. I never meant to make you cry," he murmured with a tenderness that made her eyes glimmer with tears once again. He felt his chest tighten in the face of her obvious hurt, but he couldn't stop.

"You have to understand that for me; every day, every mission means risking my life. What if-"

Rin shook her head frantically against his chest, clutching the damp fabric of his shirt.

"I..." she began, but her own voice failed her miserably. There were so many things she so desperately wanted and needed to tell him. Finally, the words she had been longing to say tumbled out in a breathless whisper.

"I want to spend whatever time we have now with you."

It was then that he realized how wrong he had been; she was no longer the timid little girl he'd once known and left behind to protect. She had found strength in her own way and grown up to become the beguiling young woman standing before him now.

The deliberate, almost reverent way he ran his hands through her hair and the soft deep tone of his voice when he spoke made her want to cry again.

"I can't promise that I'll never hurt you again, but I swear that I will wake up every morning and dedicate every day of my life to making you happy."

His promise was made with so much love and conviction that the tears fell before she could stop them. Then his eyes met hers, regarding her with an expression she had never seen him wear before as a calloused thumb gently brushed away the salty moisture from her skin.

"Will you marry me?"

Overwhelmed by it all, she buried her face in his shirt before answering in a voice was so soft that he almost missed it.

"Hai..."

Like the first ray of sunshine shining through the clouds after a storm, she looked up at him, her tearful eyes lit up with such sweet joy that he did not know what to make of it, and yet he couldn't bring himself to look away.

Then Rin's turquoise gaze turned anxious and hesitant when she understood the implications of what they had done.

"But what about Soichiro-sama and Otou-sama and..."

Kazuya silenced her with a kiss on the top of her forehead, finding himself rather amused by the slightly confused and unexpectedly endearing look on her pretty features.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to handle them and anyone else," he said, taking her hand into his in a gesture meant more for her comfort than his. "Shall we go, then?"

A single, unspoken word was all the assurance she needed.

"Hai."

_Together..._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I'm really really really sorry about my lateness. My exams finished about a week ago, but the combination of the stress, horrid weather and some stupid virus has left me pretty much incapacipated by a cold and being sick really really puts a damper on the creative spirit. T-T**

**For those who may be interested, I somehow managed to get 17/20 for E-Math (Enriched Math) and 18/20 for A-Math (Advanced Math). Whose ingenius idea it was to split them I'll never know, especially considering that if we're able to do A-Math we should technically be able to do E-Math and there isn't really much of a difference between the two. So in other words I have an average of 87.5% for Math :)**

**Okay, back to the chapter. **

**My sis was rather disturbed by all the romance, but being the poor, romantically deprived person that I am, I simply couldn't resist the excuse to write something squeal-worthy. But in the end, both my sis and I agree that there is only one way to describe the last scene: pure, undiluted, cotton-candy fluff XD**

**The next chapter will be the last of this arc, but not for the whole story. There's a lot more plot to be planned and unresolved issues that have to be resolved so don't start throwing things at me when you see the title for the next chapter. **

**Some of you may be wondering by now where our two main characters (and the other OCs) have vanished to since this is supposed to be a NejiTen story and all. Not to worry. More fluff, heavily implied or otherwise, will be coming up soon from our favourite couple ;)**

**Beta-read by the one and only Midnight Memories :D**


	17. Happy End

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Do you?**

* * *

Although their visit had been rather unexpected, Soichiro couldn't honestly say that he hadn't seen it coming.

"Sakurai-san, Fuuma-san, is there something you need?" he inquired politely, even though their interlocking fingers told him everything he needed to know.

Rin hesitantly glanced up at the man beside her, who conveyed his silent encouragement in the form of a nod and a slight squeeze of her hand.

"Soichiro-sama," she murmured, her gaze returning to the floor. "I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid I won't be able to go through with our engagement."

Smouldering grey eyes sent Soichiro a measured look as though searching for some indication as to what his reaction would be. But, Kazuya soon learnt that his concern was uncalled for when he smiled gently at the both them.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Sakurai-san. Everyone deserves a chance at happiness. It just so happens that you have found yours with Fuuma-san. Actually," Soichiro admitted, "I was considering breaking off our engagement myself. I realized that what my father wanted wasn't for me to get married, but to start taking my life more seriously. And I intend to. The both of you need not trouble yourselves over my affairs," he carried on calmly, but in a more businesslike tone. "I will settle the issues regarding my inheritance on my own."

Soichiro paused.

"But, I would suggest that you start making all the necessary arrangements for your engagement party."

"E-Eh?" Rin stammered.

"Our what?" Kazuya asked.

"Well, so many preparations have already been made and the guests have already been invited. It would be a shame to let it all go to waste," he mused almost thoughtfully with a note of seriousness that was betrayed by the merriment in his eyes.

"I wish you all the best." There was another hint of barely hidden amusement as he added, "You will invite me to the wedding, will you?"

"We will," Kazuya answered for the both of them. "Thank you."

Their combined gratitude went far beyond anything those two simple words could encompass, yet Soichiro couldn't help but feel amply rewarded as the other man slid open the rice-paper door and placed his unoccupied hand on the small of his fiancée's back before they left his office.

* * *

To say that the guests attending the Fujimura-Sakurai-wedding-reception turned Fuuma-Sakurai-engagement-ceremony had been surprised would have been the understatement of the century.

While everyone was undoubtedly curious as to what had lead to the extremely sudden and equally scandalous development, most simply had the good grace not to ask. Even the biggest gossips in amongst the invited crowd were wise enough not to mention anything within hearing range of those involved, not unless they wanted to risk offending some of the most powerful and influential families in both the financial and the shinobi world.

In spite of the questionable and just as confusing turn of events behind it, absolutely no expense had been spared and a combination of flawless planning, the lively ambience and a well-chosen orchestra made the party itself a most enjoyable affair.

As soon as they entered the hall, the happy couple were surrounded by well-wishers offering gifts and congratulations.

The bride-to-be was resplendent in a pure white kimono trimmed in gold brocade. Her hair had been arranged atop of her head in an intricate twist that held in place an elaborate head dress of gold filigree and pale pink pearls.

At any other time perhaps, her outfit would have eclipsed her entirely. But tonight, she exuded an elegance and confidence she never thought she possessed. And a serene smile also added a light to her face that no amount of jewels or finery ever could.

Her future husband looked just as striking in his robes of navy blue with the Fuuma clan symbol prominently displayed on his back in silver and a charming grin on his handsome face.

His new father-in-law had taken the news much better than he'd expected. Whether it was because their union was far more advantageous than the original one or due to the insistence of his usually soft-spoken wife, the Sakurai patriarch had given them his blessing and much to both Rin's and his own relief.

Once some of the excitement about the newly-engaged couple had died down, the quiet entrance of a mysterious lady went far from unnoticed.

Judging from her interactions with them, she seemed to be on very good terms with the three hosts for the evening as well as quite closely acquainted with the aloof man with the distinctive pale eyes whom everyone had immediately assumed to be the heir to the famous Hyuuga clan.

Everyone here knew one another; if not personally, then at the very least by name, rank or reputation. Yet, despite having relations with all four of the most important parties in attendance, she clearly did not know anyone else and the reverse was just as evident.

The presence of someone from outside their limited social circle was a rarity. The presence of a woman, and an attractive one at that, was especially intriguing for the men and an immediate topic of speculation and gossip for the women.

She had already been approached by several males asking for her to dance with them and each one had been politely declined. The next few who had wanted to try their luck were dismayed to find that she had vanished just as suddenly and silently as she had come.

* * *

The delicate silk of her borrowed kimono trailed gracefully behind her as Tenten quietly slipped out of the hall.

The last social gathering she had attended had been around a year ago before a long spell of training and missions had completely taken up her life. While the kunoichi usually enjoyed company, she felt stifled by all the insincere smiles and polite conversation.

She was also getting quite tired of having to turn down requests from random men asking for her to dance with them.

That particular distraction would have been more than welcome. Unfortunately, she had only been allowed to attend the event under the condition, though in this case instruction would have been a more accurate description, that she avoided anything physically strenuous. Dancing certainly fell under that category the last time she'd checked.

Sounds of talk, laughter and strains of music from an instrument she couldn't identify left her behind as she reached the very end of the deserted corridor.

The gardens were illuminated by hundreds of tiny lanterns that provided an almost ethereal air to the place. Her eyes closed momentarily and her lips relaxed in a contented smile.

"Why are you here?"

Tenten whirled around, the hem of her skirt swishing around her legs and against the wooden floor.

"Neji, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprise in her tone.

"Hn," the syllable came out a little more sharply than it normally did.

His already limited patience had been worn increasingly thin over the course of the evening by the marriage proposals, ranging from thinly veiled hints to relentless badgering, from families with eligible daughters and other female relations.

Then, a particularly observant guest had chosen to praise Fujimura's perfectly circular and completely symmetrical reflection pool or rather, the cleverly disguised crater his Kaiten had left behind three nights previous.

Either meaning it as a joke or revenge for ruining his landscaping, Fujimura had proceeded to cheerfully redirect their praise to the Hyuuga responsible which resulted in the latter receiving numerous requests for him to do the same in _their _gardens.

His presence may have been required, but he had more than fulfilled his duty and dealt with their insufferable nonsense for long enough.

He would have infinitely preferred spending the evening training, something he had not done for a considerably long time. But, although shinobi did not need to indulge in such frivolity and luxury, Neji couldn't say he entirely disapproved of Tenten doing so.

Though they had been previously surrounded by women of higher social standing and more elaborate dress, she was their equal both in beauty and in presence. The unadorned kimono she wore was an admittedly attractive shade of emerald green that brought out the gold in her skin. Her hair had been bound in its characteristic style and secured by a pair of jade dragonflies.

She was beautiful enough to drive most men to distraction.

Hyuuga Neji wasn't most men.

He resumed his usual monotone. "You haven't answered my question, Tenten."

"Well the only thing to do there is talk or dance. It's not like I really know anyone and though I would love to, I can't dance." The accusation in her voice as she said the last three words was plainly obvious.

Colourless eyes remained impassive, regarding her with detached interest as the owner walked towards her.

"I never said you couldn't dance," he informed her patiently.

"You-"

"Dancing does not necessarily have to be a physically demanding activity," he interrupted smoothly. "But, had you danced with someone who was unaware of your condition, there would have been a possibility of you aggravating it."

He held out his hand and she blinked, shimmering eyelids glittering in the dim lighting.

"You said you wanted to dance."

It was clear from the look she was giving him that she hadn't been expecting his invitation, but she didn't protest when he took her hand into his. Their other hands fell easily into position, his on her waist and hers on his shoulder and they began moving in slow, perfect harmony to a melody only they could hear.

The hand holding onto hers was unbelievably gentle. He was so close that had he been anyone other than Hyuuga Neji, she might have thought he was going to kiss her. The weapon mistress let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and a breath of laughter escaped her lips.

It didn't take long for her to decide that she liked the way he looked tonight. The formal Hyuuga robes added a form of nobility and status that was always implied by his proud, authoritative demeanour but otherwise unexpressed.

Tenten soon realized she had been staring and his near imperceptible smirk told her that she wasn't the only one who had noticed.

"Kazuya told me everything," she said softly.

They stopped dancing.

He didn't say anything, merely waiting for her to continue even though he was more than aware of what her vague and no less abrupt statement was referring to.

"I mean, I don't blame you for your decision. Of course that fact that I didn't actually die may have something to do with it," she commented with a wry smile. "But I want to thank you. For not giving up on me."

He only nodded in response. A moment of silence passed between them as she paused to find the right words.

"We haven't really known each other for very long, but there's just something that makes me want to believe in you. And I do believe in you, Neji, now more than ever."

She ended her words with a genuine smile this time and he was at a loss as to how he was supposed to respond. His face was the picture of a blank page as intense silver pierced warm brown.

"I know," Neji finally answered, his quiet baritone oddly lilting and the weight of her trust etched onto his brow.

* * *

"Soichiro-sama, I don't think it is appropriate for you to excuse yourself from your own party," Hiroshi reprimanded mildly.

A rustle as the young businessman flipped to the next page in his thick stack.

"This contract has to be signed by tomorrow and it's Fuuma-san and Sakurai-san's party, not mine," he corrected, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose when they started slipping down. It went without saying that he was in for another long night.

Lowering the sheet of paper he had been perusing, Soichiro leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes briefly.

"You knew?"

Both of them had been so busy lately that he hadn't had the opportunity to raise the subject until now. Soichiro saw his adopted brother stiffen slightly at the question that was really more of a statement than anything else, but he still replied dutifully and truthfully.

"I was ordered not to tell you until everything was over."

Soichiro frowned up at his friend, impatient, and definitely not understanding. "Father never said you had to surrender his assets to me if I failed to fulfil the terms of his will."

"Everything is rightfully yours," Hiroshi answered. "And you would do a better job at managing the company than I ever could."

Soichiro found that last sentence somewhat doubtful.

"But, I'm sure your father would be proud." Hiroshi's voice was unwavering yet somehow conveying all the emotion he was trying hard not to show.

With sadness mingled with his smile, Soichiro shook his head.

"_Our_ father would be proud."

* * *

_The next day..._

"Tsunade-sama, we just received a message from Hyuuga Neji's team."

The busty blonde nodded distractedly and Shizune took it as a signal to continue.

"It seems that Tenten had sustained moderate injuries during the course of their mission and they are asking for clearance regarding the extension of their stay to give her sufficient time to recover."

Tsunade waved the hand holding her pen dismissively before she began scribbling on a fresh sheet of paper.

After scanning through the next few lines, Shizune's brown eyes flickered nervously to her still unsuspecting, blissfully oblivious shishou.

"Ano... Fuuma Kazuya is also requesting that he be relieved from all active shinobi duty once this mission has been completed on the grounds of needing to spend time with his new... fiancée."

It took a couple of seconds for her assistant's words to sink in, but when they did, the Godaime practically shot out of her seat.

"WHAT?!?"

Her hand accidentally hit the ink bottle that was positioned precariously near the edge of her desk. Although her quick reflexes had managed to prevent most of it from spilling, she cursed when she saw several dark splotches on her draft of Konoha and Suna's new trade agreement that certainly hadn't been there before.

However, there was a much, much, _much_ more important issue at hand.

Tsunade promptly snatched the offending memo from her assistant, amber eyes roving over the its contents. There simply _had_ to be some kind of mistake.

There wasn't.

"My hundred thousand ryou..." Tsunade trailed off blankly, sinking down into her chair.

From somewhere under the desk, Tonton whined in sympathy for his poor, devastated mistress while Shizune sighed.

"Tsunade-sama..."

* * *

The week had passed by uneventfully and before long, it was time for them to return home.

Except, "home" now had a very different meaning for one of them. Neji and she would be going back to Konoha, while Kazuya would be accompanying Rin and her family back to their home in Tea Country.

They had already said their goodbyes to Soichiro earlier that morning. He had invited them to visit again whenever they were in the area before leaving with Hiroshi to supervise the new shipment of jewellery from Lava Country.

Now, it was almost time for them to go.

"Tenten-san," Rin began shyly as the two of them took one last stroll through the garden. "I know the wedding probably won't be for a long time, but w-would you be my maid of honour?"

"Me?" Tenten asked bemusedly.

Rin nodded earnestly. "You saved my life and if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the courage to tell Kazuya how I felt and..." She bit her lip, a light blush rising to colour her cheeks. "You're the only friend I have. I really want you to be my maid of honour."

Tenten smiled at the younger girl. "I'd love to be your maid of honour, Rin-chan."

In the shade of the porch, Neji watched the two women chatting animatedly, their features gilded in the summer sunlight. Both so different, each equally enchanting in their own right, yet he only had eyes for one.

"Hyuuga."

Neji turned to see Kazuya extending a gloved hand and he accepted, shaking it briefly, wordlessly.

"So, what is it you love about her?" the blonde asked casually, leaning against the wall behind him. When he realized that an answer was not forthcoming, he tried something else.

"You don't know, do you?" His question earned him a glare in response and Kazuya could only shrug. "Guess that makes two of us."

The breeze rushing through his hair was brisk and warm. His previous irritation faded slightly at the sudden sound of her laughter and he gave the other man's statement a single, similarly cryptic reply.

"Hn."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Well this is it for this arc. Despite what the chapter for this title implies, this isn't the last chapter of this story so it's not over yet. *wink***

**I hope you guys enjoyed the NejiTen fluff. I know I did while writing it :D **

**My sis and I had a fun time trying to come up with a name for Rin's home country. I wrote Rice country before my sis informed me that that's where Sound Village is near/based in so we came up with random names including Dog, Tea, Ramen, Noodle, Potato (???), Donkey and Mice (since, I quote my sis "it sounds like Rice"). Eventually we just decided to use Tea since it sounded the least ridiculous. XP**

**I'm not sure when I'll be able to write again coz we're starting on exams again next week T-T, but I'll do my best. Many thanks to Midnight Memories for beta-ing this chapter even though she's super busy too. May which ever higher power up there who's paying attention to my rambling save both of us from the evil pile of work looming over our heads. **

**That's it for now.**


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